The California Rail Builders (CRB) team reached a historic milestone on the California High-Speed Rail project, placing the final pre-cast girders in their 22-mile segment, Construction Package 4, which runs from just north of the Tulare/Kern County line south to Poplar Avenue in Wasco. CRB is a joint venture of Ferrovial Construction and Griffith Company.
This is the first of the high-speed rail segments along the entire 119-mile route to reach this milestone.
- The final 12 girders were placed on July 8 over the State Route 46 underpass in Wasco. In June, the team installed 15 pre-cast girders at the Merced Avenue grade separation south of Wasco. These girders, measuring more than 177 feet in length, were the longest ever manufactured for a state project. Crews will need to install 245 precast deck panels to complete the structure.
- At the start of the year, the team installed 15 girders across the 415-foot-long structure at McCombs Avenue in a four-night operation. Crews have completed large, complex pours in both abutment diaphragms and the intermediates and installed 360 pre-cast deck panels. Currently, the crews are working on the rebar for the deck reinforcement.
- Girder placement on the most significant structure, the Wasco Viaduct, was completed earlier this spring, with the last four of 120 pre-cast concrete girders placed on the pergola section of the viaduct. Workers are currently tying rebar for the edge beams bringing the girders together, and the crews are readying for a 780 cubic-yard concrete pour for the edge beam, which will tie the south viaduct box girder together.
"This is a huge milestone not only for our team, but also for the entire California high-speed rail project. This has been an incredibly complex project, requiring coordination with Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Caltrans, Kern County and the City of Wasco, each of which has different design criteria and permitting obligations. I am so proud of our team for this achievement."
Since the start of construction, the California High-Speed Rail project has created more than 8,000 construction jobs, a majority of which go directly to those living in the Central Valley. There are currently 119 miles under construction in the Central Valley with more than 30 active construction sites.
