California agencies OK funds for major grade separation project

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) yesterday approved a $76.7 million joint funding agreement for a grade separation project in Santa Fe Springs, California.

The contribution will be matched by other local funding sources to complete the $155.3 million project, which calls for building an elevated overpass structure at Rosecrans and Marquardt avenues to separate motorist traffic from rail traffic.

A BNSF Railway Co. line passes through the intersection of the two streets. The California Public Utilities Commission has rated the crossing as one of the most hazardous grade crossings in the state, CHSRA officials said in a press release.

Each day, 110 freight and passenger trains and more than 52,000 vehicles pass through the intersection. The tracks, which are also used by Amtrak and Metro trains, are part of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo rail corridor, which is the second busiest intercity passenger-rail corridor in the United States.

The $76.7 million funding will come from Proposition 1A, the High-Speed Rail Act that voters approved in 2008. The measure includes $1.1 billion for locally sponsored "bookend" projects.

In early 2017, the Rosecrans Avenue/Marquardt Avenue separation project was identified as the first to be funded through the measure.

"Funding for this priority investment within the Burbank to Anaheim corridor will improve freight, local and regional passenger rail service, enhance transit connections, improve safety, and accommodate the introduction of high-speed rail service in Southern California," said CHSRA Chief Executive Officer Brian Kelly.