Hwy 99 realignment in Fresno for high speed rail line complete

The state route 99 realignment project for high speed rail moved a 2-mile stretch of highway between Ashlan and Clinton 80 to 100 feet to the west to make room for the high-speed train.

"99 is the backbone of transportation in the central Valley its one of the busiest truck routes in California," said Project Manager Garth Fernandez.

Proving this was no easy feat.

Over five and a half years, close to 1,000 people worked on the design, planning and construction of the project.

"This is a culmination of years of planning and finally getting something built."

The $290 million project included demolishing and reconstructing three over-crossings to accommodate requirements.

Long-life pavement means crews are expected to not have to return for at least 40 years.

The ribbon-cutting comes just days after Governor Gavin Newsom's state of the state and Valley visit where he revealed plans for the high speed rail.

"For us here in the Central Valley, he prioritized for us to complete construction that we started," said Diana Gomez of the Central Valley Regional Director of the High Speed Rail Authority.

While there is no timeline for when the central Valley will be connected to the Bay Area and Los Angeles, high speed rail authority officials say they hope to expedite the central valley portion. Meanwhile environmental clearing will take place statewide.

"The current timeline is to finish the central Valley route before 2026 but now with this new priority, hopefully we can get that sooner," Gomez said.