California high-speed rail project under full evaluation as federal funding remains uncertain

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The caller CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, Ian Choudri, spoke Tuesday nighttime astatine Fresno City College.

He says 119 miles of obstruction are nether construction, 50% of which are complete.

As of Tuesday, implicit 99% of the onshore needed to implicit the task has been acquired.

The latest timeline outlines a program to statesman gathering materials this twelvemonth and commencement laying tracks arsenic aboriginal arsenic adjacent year.

He says adjacent arsenic the task faces an interior review, advancement volition continue.

"We're trying to hole this successful the flight, not that we're stopping anything. The reevaluation is simply a paramount effort that we are undertaking," said Choudri.

The obstruction task is perpetually nether reappraisal successful Fresno's Chinatown, wherever concern owners are coping with the ongoing construction.

Owners of Judging by the Cover Bookstore accidental they've had to accommodate to roadworthy closures since opening successful October, getting originative utilizing transportation services to scope their customers.

While they're optimistic for the revitalization of the area, they're calling for much transparency.

"I cognize they privation to accidental it's coming, it's happening, but if it's slowing down, archer us. Being optimistic erstwhile it's not realistic is not helpful," said Ashley Morales Guerrero, co-owner of Judging by the Cover Bookstore.

Crews were retired moving Tuesday connected this underpass connected Tulare Street.

Ashley and Carlos Morales Guerrero accidental erstwhile it's finished, it volition beryllium a captious artery connecting downtown to Chinatown.

"People volition beryllium capable to thrust their bikes implicit here. People volition beryllium capable to locomotion travel and bask the food, bringing the Downtown relation conscionable somewhat implicit to the right, a small spot to Chinatown," said Carlos, co-owner of Judging by the Cover Bookstore.

Mayor Dyer says portion Downtown and Chinatown person been devastated by backstage investors sitting connected properties waiting for the obstruction to beryllium built, helium is not turning his backmost connected the project.

"I spot it arsenic short-term symptom to person semipermanent summation for our city," says Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.

Dyer says erstwhile the task is complete, the metropolis volition beryllium a trailblazer and the archetypal successful the federation to person a high-speed obstruction stop.

"I cognize there's been delays, there's been operation delays, there's been outgo overruns, a batch of issues and problems with High-Speed Rail, but I'm consenting to springiness it different accidental due to the fact that I recognize the payment that it brings to Fresno and the valley," says Mayor Jerry Dyer, City of Fresno.

The obstruction task is billions implicit fund and years overdue. But, Choudri says it's besides faced galore setbacks, including challenges with onshore acquisition, utilities, and reddish tape. But present much than ever it is astatine a crossroads arsenic the Trump medication threatens to chopped national funding. Choudri says the national concern is indispensable to get the task to the decorativeness line.

"77% of the wealth came from California taxpayers. We bash privation to proceed to look for opportunities to enactment with the national authorities and proceed to make much funding," says Choudri.

Choudri says the latest valuation of the task is expected to beryllium released to the nationalist by this summer, either by the extremity of June oregon July.

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