MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The bullet train may be a solution for the future, but the High-Speed Rail Authority says its newest structure is already improving travel in Madera County.

The authority announced the completion of the newest addition on Friday. They say that the new structure is already open to traffic.

“Madera County will see immediate benefits from this new grade separation. Traffic flow along Road 26 will improve, and pedestrians – including students who attend the elementary school less than a mile away –  will no longer have to walk across dangerous railroad tracks each day,” said the authority’s Chief of Construction Ed Fern.

The three-lane wide Road 26 grade separation spans 636 feet between Club Drive and Avenue 18 1/2, north of Madera.

The authority says it will reduce accidents, fatalities, injuries, and property damage by allowing people to cross over and avoid the existing BNSF railroad and the future high-speed rail tracks. According to the authority’s estimate, that’s a public benefit of approximately $127 million over 30 years.

The most recent local project, the Avenue 17 grade separation, was completed last year. The Avenue 12 grade separation, near Madera Community College, was also recently completed in 2022.

Other high-speed rail grade separations can be found on Avenues 15 and 15 1/2, and between Avenue 7 and Avenue 11.

With the addition of the newest structure, there are now 60 fully completed major structures, and according to the authority, 30 more are underway across Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties.