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Central Valley construction reaches 61% guideway completion; railhead in yard readying for material deliveries
Summary
Chief of Construction Edward Fenn reported July 2025 construction progress for the Central Valley: guideway about 61% complete, 72 miles of guideway finished, 55 structures complete (correction), utility relocations largely complete and railhead work substantially finished for staging.
Edward Fenn, the authority’s chief of construction, briefed the Finance and Audit Committee on Oct. 9 on Central Valley construction progress through July 2025, reporting steady monthly expenditures, structure completions and utility relocations that support the upcoming track-laying phase.
Fenn reported $87.4 million in construction expenditures for the month, with the majority spent on Construction Package 1 (CP 1). He told the committee the guideway is roughly 61% complete on a 119-mile initial operating segment, with 72 miles complete, 28 miles underway and 19 miles not started. "For guideway, we had completed we're basically 61% complete with guideway for 72 miles total," Fenn said.
On structures, Fenn said one structure (Tulare) was recorded complete in July and a subsequent corrected slide shows 55 structures complete rather than the earlier 54. He described a phased schedule through 2026 that prioritizes completing structures so track work can proceed: several critical structures (Houston Ave., Herndon and the Fresno trench) will not be complete until late 2026.
Utility and right-of-way work is largely advanced: Fenn reported 1,604 utility relocations complete, 93 in progress and 129 not started; for right-of-way, he said about 99.2% of parcels are complete with 13 railroad parcels remaining. He stated the remaining roughly 18 parcels are ancillary easements for utilities and drainage and "are not a concern" for current guideway work.
Fenn described the railhead (the staging area off the BNSF mainline) as substantially complete for its core work, with ballast and surfacing in place. He said follow-up work will include fencing, site containment, storage-building plans and an office facility in design. Fenn added that the railhead will receive owner-supplied materials and equipment for construction next year.
Committee members questioned schedule risk and how authority staff will be alerted if the planned late-2026 completion faces material delays. Staff responded that they are using a guideway turnover approach, daily monitoring and coordination with third parties (including Union Pacific and local governments) and will convene a CP 1 summit to optimize phasing and close long critical paths.
Why it matters: Completing structures and guideway is a prerequisite to sustained track-laying activity; utility relocations and right-of-way clearances remain critical path items. The committee’s discussion focused on sequencing and daily monitoring to avoid surprises as the project moves into concurrent track construction phases.
Fenn concluded the presentation by noting photographs of the railhead would be updated in the next monthly report and that the authority aims to hold a railhead press event in the near term.
