San Joaquin River Viaduct

The San Joaquin River Viaduct is a bridge currently under construction to carry California High-Speed Rail over the San Joaquin River. Most of the bridge is in the city of Fresno, California in Fresno County, although the portion north of the river will be in Madera County. It is the second major river crossing to be constructed as part of California High-Speed Rail, after the Fresno River Viaduct to the north.[1]

Construction of the main span in February 2020
Construction of the main span in July 2019
Construction of the pergola structure in February 2019

The bridge will be 4,740 feet (1,440 m) long, and combines a double concrete arch span crossing the river with a pergola structure to carry the tracks laterally over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.[2][3] It will also cross Herndon Avenue and Golden State Boulevard.[4] The river crossing is immediately upstream of the Union Pacific Railroad and California State Route 99 crossings of the San Joaquin River.[1][5]

History

In 2012, the City of Fresno recommended building a through arch bridge with return arches to transition gracefully to the flanking box girder bridge segments, due to its visual appeal as a signature element along the northern approach to Fresno.[5] However, conceptual drawings in 2016 showed a different arch structure lacking the return arch transitions.[2]

The bridge is part of Construction Package 1, the contract for which was awarded in August 2013.[1] Preliminary statnamic load testing on the riverbed occurred in February 2015 to test the stability of the bridge foundation in an earthquake.[4] Construction began in April 2016, and was expected to take 2–3 years to complete.[2][3]

As of February 2019, crews were working over the San Joaquin River and making final preparations before placing concrete at the east archway of the viaduct. The concrete placement was while crews continued forming up the west archway and building an additional scaffold. These arches will act as a suspension bridge support for the bridge span over the river.[6]

  • Site of the bridge just prior to construction. The existing Union Pacific Railroad and California State Route 99 bridges are visible to the left.
  • The early stages of construction in November 2016. A temporary platform has been constructed to assist in the construction of the viaduct.
  • Construction of the pergola structure in August 2017
  • The viaduct in January 2019

References
  1. "Construction Package One Overview" (PDF). California High-Speed Rail Authority. January 2015. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  2. "San Joaquin River Viaduct". California High-Speed Rail Authority. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  3. Lurie, George (April 21, 2016). "Rail projects begin to alter Valley landscape, impact local businesses". The Business Journal. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  4. Sheehan, Tim (February 26, 2015). "Rail contractors test bridge piling near San Joaquin River". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  5. "City of Fresno Design Guidelines: California High-Speed Train Project" (PDF). City of Fresno. June 15, 2012. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  6. https://buildhsr.com/projects/san_joaquin_river_viaduct_40094.aspx

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