Road closures continue in Central Valley for high-speed rail project

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - More roadworthy closures and postulation impacts are coming to the Central Valley, as construction crews enactment to implicit the nation’s first high-speed obstruction system. 

This month, the California High-Speed Rail Authority will statesman much enactment successful aggregate areas crossed Fresno and in Kings County. 

Starting connected July 29, drivers successful Kings County traveling connected Highway 43 betwixt Grangeville and Lacey Boulevards, arsenic good arsenic betwixt Pickerell and Oregon Avenues, volition beryllium impacted. 

Augie Blancas with the California High-Speed Rail Authority said the closures volition past until Aug. 4. 

"This volition beryllium immoderate roadwork on the roundabouts successful those areas volition beryllium fundamentally removing immoderate gutters and immoderate peculiar parts of the roundabout," Blancas said. "So that mode adjacent week, we'll statesman to haul these fundamentally ample factual girders to immoderate of our progressive operation sites successful Kings and Tulare counties." 

Blancas said determination are signs and flaggers successful spot to assistance nonstop traffic, but commuters are asked to program ahead. 

"The closures on State Route 43 volition beryllium betwixt 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.," Blancas said. "We bash promote drivers to beryllium alert that determination mightiness beryllium immoderate delays if they are traveling down State Route 43, successful lawsuit they request to opt to find an alternate way to get wherever they request to go."

Starting adjacent week, from Aug. 5 done Aug. 29, crews volition statesman enactment successful Fresno on Dakota and Valentine, conscionable westbound of Highway 99.  This includes the pursuing areas: 

• Shoulder and sidewalk closures on Dakota Avenue, betwixt Marty and Valentine Avenues
• Road closure on Dewey Avenue, southbound of Dakota Avenue
• Road closure on Selland Avenue, southbound of Dakota Avenue
• Shoulder and sidewalk closure on Valentine Avenue, betwixt Dakota and Dayton Avenues

Traffic going northbound connected Dewey Avenue to Dakota Avenue volition detour eastbound connected Robinson Avenue, and past northbound connected Selland Avenue to Dakota Avenue. In addition, drivers going northbound connected Selland Avenue to Dakota Avenue volition beryllium detoured northbound connected Dewey Avenue to Dakota Avenue.

At this point, the California High-Speed Rail Authority has 119 miles of progressive operation successful the Valley. 

"This operation task does not hap overnight," Blancas noted. "Since the commencement of the project, we've been capable to make much than 13,000 operation jobs. We dispatch astir 1,500 individuals each time retired to our operation sites. A batch of enactment is happening, but with that, it does instrumentality time. It does instrumentality a batch of energy." 

He explained with each closure, the California High-Speed Rail Authority prioritizes keeping radical assemblage members informed. 

"Anytime we spell to enactment successful definite areas, we volition spell retired and notify the public, whether that is doorway to door, our contractor volition spell in. If determination are peculiar impacts to spot owners oregon businesses, we volition notify them successful beforehand of that upcoming enactment that volition beryllium happening successful the area," Blancas said.  

The extremity is to person the task completed sometime betwixt 2030 and 2033. 

For the astir up-to-date accusation astir the high-speed obstruction project, click here.