Brightline West conducts fieldwork in California ahead of high-speed rail groundbreaking
Brightline West launched field investigation work this week in Southern California in anticipation of a groundbreaking of its high-speed rail system between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga.
The fieldwork, for the proposed rail corridor within the Interstate 15 right-of-way, will advance the final stages of design in preparation for a groundbreaking, Brightline West told the Daily Press.
Field work also began earlier this month in Nevada for what Brightline West officials call “America’s first true high-speed rail system.”
Field investigation work includes geotechnical borings and samplings, utility potholing and land surveying.
Work took place primarily during daytime hours, with some work at night to minimize disruption to traffic. In some instances, short-term closures of freeway shoulders were required.
All work was conducted in compliance with applicable environmental regulations. The work was done in coordination with Caltrans.
Field investigation work in California includes:
I-15 from Primm to Nipton Road. Borings in the center median.
I-15 from Mountain Pass to Minneola Road. Borings in the center median at major interchanges and wash bridge locations
I-15 from Yermo to I-15/Hwy 58. Borings in the center median and southbound exterior shoulders.
I-15 from Mountain Pass to Meridian Road. Borings in the center median.
I-15 from Afton Road to Quarry Road. Borings in the center median and at major interchanges.
I-15 in Rancho Cucamonga and in Devore. Borings at the Foothill Boulevard Interchange, Glen Helen Road, and in the Devore Area.
Motorists should proceed with extra caution through work zones and adhere to posted detour signs, speed limits and other signage.
Brightline West project
The estimated $12 billion Brightline West project includes a 218-mile, all-electric rail service, with a flagship station in Las Vegas, with additional stations in Apple Valley, Hesperia and a main station Rancho Cucamonga.
At speeds up to 200 miles per hour, trains will take passengers from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga in about two hours, twice as fast as the normal drive time.
The project is expected to break ground sometime this summer, with the goal of completion by summer 2028, in time for the summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Brightline West officials said.
Brightline West funding
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the approval of $2.5 billion in private activity bonds authority for the Brightline West high-speed rail project, the Daily Press reported.
The money will be used to lay tracks, create jobs, and "connect American cities,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday.
The Department of Transportation previously approved a private activity bond allocation of $1 billion for Brightline West in 2020, bringing the total allocation for this project to $3.5 billion.
In Dec. 2023, the department also awarded a $3 billion grant from President Biden’s infrastructure law to the Nevada Department of Transportation for this project.
In June 2023, the department awarded a $25 million grant to San Bernardino County Transportation Authority through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Program that will be used for the construction of the Brightline West stations in Hesperia and Apple Valley.
Unions may soon begin recruiting thousands of workers to construct the high-speed Brightline West rail system between Rancho Cucamonga and Las Vegas.
The Department of Labor recently met with trade unions of Nevada and California to discuss the possible hiring of nearly 11,000 workers to begin building 218 miles of rail by summer.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Brightline West conducts fieldwork in California ahead of groundbreaking
