A host of local and state transportation and elected officials gathered Wednesday to mark the start of construction on a $99.6 million railroad bridge aimed at easing traffic delays at an Industry intersection.
The project will build a four-lane roadway underpass along Puente Avenue near Valley Boulevard, carrying traffic beneath a two-track bridge for freight trains. Puente Avenue will also pass under Valley Boulevard, and a loop road will be built as a connector between Valley and Puente.
According to the Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority, which is overseeing the project, there have been five collisions at the Puente Avenue railroad crossing over the past 10 years, including one that left a bicyclist dead.
“The Puente Avenue project will eliminate crossing collisions, vehicle queuing and congestion and train horn noise and reduce vehicle emissions,” said El Monte City Councilwoman Norma Macias, who chairs the Alameda Corridor- East Construction Authority’s board.
About 20 trains cross Puente Avenue each day, and that number is expected to more than double over the next decade, according to the authority. Meanwhile, about 31,000 vehicles travel along Puente, often causing extensive traffic delays as motorists wait for trains to pass.
ACE officials estimated that the bridge project will reduce traffic congestion in the area by 13 vehicle hours per day. Keeping traffic moving will also reduce vehicle emissions, while horn noise from trains will be eliminated in the area, according to the authority.
The construction project is expected to be completed in early 2018.
“Investment in freight infrastructure projects, like the ACE projects, is key to maintaining our regional, state and national economic competitiveness as well as community support for Southern California as a leading trade gateway and corridor,” Fran Inman of the California Transportation Commission said.
The ACE corridor accommodates about 60 percent of the containers that arrive at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, according to the authority.
— City News Service