26-06-2025
New overpass opens in Fresno as part of California high-speed rail project
A new stretch of West Belmont Avenue has opened near Roeding Park in Fresno as part of the California High-Speed Rail project.
The four-lane overpass, or grade separation, takes drivers over the Union Pacific tracks at Weber Avenue and also over the future tracks of the bullet train.
The grade separation was built with bike lanes and pedestrian access.
There will also be no need for train horns as vehicle traffic will bypass the train crossing. It will also improve the traffic flow on Belmont, said Augie G. Blancas, an information officer for the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
As part of the high-speed rail construction project, 55 similar type of railroad crossings will be eliminated.
The Belmont Avenue grade separation began in 2022 and is more than 611 feet long and 62 feet wide.
Also recently opened is the Central Avenue grade separation in south Fresno between Maple and Cedar avenues. The overpass eliminated the at-grade railroad crossing and will now take traffic and pedestrians over the BNSF railroad and future high-speed rail tracks.
Construction progresses every day on the California high-speed rail project. There are currently 171 miles under design and construction from Merced to Bakersfield. More than 60 miles of guideway is completed and of the 93 structures needed, 54 are complete and more than 30 are under construction between Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties.
