FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Officials with the California High-Speed Rail Authority announced the completion of the Cedar Viaduct in Fresno on Wednesday.

The 3,700-foot viaduct will take trains traveling 200-plus mph over Highway 99, Cedar, and North Avenues.

According to officials, from the highway, traffic can see a dual span of cast-in-place arches that help support the weight of future high-speed trains traveling atop the deck of the structure. Each arch spans 179 feet and is nearly 40 feet tall.

Each dual span of arches is staggered from either side of the bridge, so they can be seen from both sides of the highway.

The Cedar Viaduct is one of several structures along the high-speed rail line with arches. High-Speed Rail Authority spokespeople say just a few miles away, drivers on Highway 99 can see similar arches for the 210-foot span of the San Joaquin River Viaduct – the Authority’s gateway to the Central Valley.

At almost three-quarters of a mile long, the Cedar Viaduct is one of our largest and most visible structures across the alignment and one of the significant achievements to date on the program.

Garth Fernandez, Central Valley Regional Director

This viaduct is part of Construction Package 1, the first 32-mile stretch of high-speed rail between Avenue 19 in Madera County and East American in Fresno County.

Authority officials say they have begun work to extend 119 under construction to 171 miles of future electrified high-speed rail from Merced to Bakersfield.