California high-speed rail completes six Central Valley structures

By Olivia Hart

The California High-Speed Rail Authority now counts more than 70 major structures as fully completed and has 22 under construction across Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties. Its latest announcement covers six structures in Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties, led by the Hanford Viaduct in Kings County, which stretches for more than a mile.

The Authority marked the Hanford Viaduct’s completion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 12 November 2026. It was the largest structure on the project’s first 119 miles of construction. Dragados-Flatiron Joint Venture built it east of Hanford, between Grangeville Boulevard and Hanford Armona Road.

The viaduct will form part of the future Kings/Tulare Station and carry the planned high-speed rail route over San Joaquin Valley Railroad and State Route 198. It will also provide connections to other modes of transport as the station and route move into development.

Interim CEO Joe Stephenshaw said: “Completion of the Hanford Viaduct shows the high-speed rail program is moving from major civil construction toward track installation, trainsets, and the development of our Central Valley stations. The progress has also created more than 20,000 good-paying jobs, delivering lasting economic benefits across the Central Valley and California.”

Stephenshaw added: “Work continues across the valley, and I look forward to seeing the nation’s first high-speed rail system move from construction to operations.”

What does the Hanford completion change for passengers?

For passengers, the immediate change is project progress, not new service. The Authority places track installation, trainsets and Central Valley station development in the next phase. The Hanford Viaduct establishes the planned crossing over the railroad and highway, but it does not create present train capacity.

Five additional structures completed

• The 2,200-foot Conejo Viaduct in Fresno County will carry high-speed trains over Conejo Avenue and BNSF freight tracks. It incorporates 248 precast concrete girders, 18 precast tub girders and more than four million pounds of steel.
• The 317-foot Cole Slough Bridge in Fresno County will take trains over a natural waterway.
• The 669-foot Dutch John Cut Bridge in Kings County will carry the railway over the Dutch John Cut waterway.
• The 450-foot Houston Avenue Grade Separation in Kings County takes road traffic over the future high-speed rail corridor and has opened to traffic.
• The 3,000-foot Deer Creek Viaduct in Tulare County will carry trains over Deer Creek.

Unlike the rail structures, Houston Avenue has an immediate transport function: road vehicles can use the grade separation now, crossing above the future rail alignment before trains arrive.

Reported construction totals

The Authority reports 21,063 construction jobs to date, most filled by residents of the Central Valley. The total includes positions created under the project’s Community Benefits Agreement, which seeks to support employment opportunities and workforce development.

Up to 1,700 workers report to construction sites each day. The Authority also reports nearly $27 billion in economic output generated by construction activity across California.

The completion, employment and output figures all come from the Authority. Its announcement gives no trainset order, fleet delivery date, operating timetable or budget, so it does not establish when these structures will carry passengers or what service capacity they will provide. The next test is whether track and trainset installation can convert the completed Central Valley structures into an operating high-speed rail service.