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8/18/2022
The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s board yesterday approved contracts to advance design of the 52.4 total miles that will extend the project into Merced and Bakersfield.
The $41 million Merced-to-Madera extension design contract was awarded to Stantec Consulting Services Inc. and covers 33.9 miles with 40 structures. The $44.9 million Fresno-to-Bakersfield extension contract was awarded to HNTB and covers 18.5 miles between Shafter and Bakersfield in Kern County with 31 structures.
The contracts are expected to last two years, with the companies working with the authority to finalize the project configuration footprint and advance design work. They’ll also refine costs and travel-time enhancements, and map right-of-way and utility relocation.
These critical steps will move the sections closer to construction, with the goal of electrified high-speed trains running between Merced and Bakersfield by the end of the decade, authority officials said in a press release.
Today, the authority’s board is expected to act on the San Francisco-to-San Jose section environmental document, potentially finalizing environmental work for more than 420 miles of the 500-mile-long project.