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The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has prepared a draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the Tehachapi Rail Improvement Project in Kern County, Calif.

The $106.7 million project calls for building five segments of double track, totaling about 5.7 miles, through Caliente and Keene within the Tehachapi Pass area in the BNSF Railway Co./Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision.

The project will be funded through a public-private partnership between BNSF and the state of California, with the railroad and California Transportation Commission each covering half of project costs. Future maintenance work on the new track would be privately funded by BNSF and UP.

Rail traffic through the Tehachapi Pass has greatly increased in the past decade and rail congestion is worsening, Caltrans officials said in the DEIR. In addition to rail, the only major means of access across the Tehachapi Mountains between the Central Valley and eastern points, such as Las Vegas and Phoenix, is via State Route 58, a four-lane expressway, they said.

The Tehachapi Rail Improvement Project is designed to improve operational capacity and increase efficiencies along the Tehachapi rail corridor, and reduce operational constraints across the mountains.

Caltrans will hold a public hearing and open house on the DEIR and project Sept. 27 in Tehachapi. The department is accepting public comments on the DEIR until Oct. 12.

After comments are received from the public and reviewing agencies, Caltrans might grant environmental approval, perform additional environmental studies or abandon the project. If the proposed project receives environmental approval and funding is appropriated, the department could design and build all or part of the project, according to Caltrans.