The California High-Speed Rail Authority has completed the Hanford Viaduct in Kings County, the largest structure on the project’s first 119 miles of construction. Meanwhile, the programme reports having generated more than 21,000 construction jobs.

The viaduct, which stretches for more than a mile, will form part of the future Kings/Tulare Station. It carries the planned high-speed rail route over the San Joaquin Valley Railroad and State Route 198, while providing connections to other modes of transport.

Hanford Viaduct

© California Haigh-Speed Rail

The structure was built by the Dragados-Flatiron Joint Venture and is located east of Hanford, between Grangeville Boulevard and Hanford Armona Road. The Authority marked its completion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 12 November 2026.

Interim CEO Joe Stephenshaw said:

Completion of the Hanford Viaduct shows the high-speed rail program is moving from major civil construction toward track installation, trainsets, and the development of our Central Valley stations. The progress has also created more than 20,000 good-paying jobs, delivering lasting economic benefits across the Central Valley and California. Work continues across the valley, and I look forward to seeing the nation’s first high-speed rail system move from construction to operations.

The Authority has also confirmed the completion of five other structures across Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.

These include the 2,200-foot Conejo Viaduct in Fresno County, which will carry high-speed trains over Conejo Avenue and BNSF freight tracks. The structure incorporates 248 precast concrete girders, 18 precast tub girders and more than four million pounds of steel.

In the same county, the 317-foot Cole Slough Bridge will take trains over a natural waterway. Meanwhile, the 669-foot Dutch John Cut Bridge in Kings County will carry the railway over the Dutch John Cut waterway.

The Houston Avenue Grade Separation in Kings County has also been completed and opened to traffic. The 450-foot structure takes road traffic over the future high-speed rail corridor.

Further south, the 3,000-foot Deer Creek Viaduct in Tulare County will carry trains over Deer Creek.

The latest completions bring the number of fully completed major structures on the project to more than 70. A further 22 structures are under construction across Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.

The Authority reports that the programme has generated 21,063 construction jobs to date, with most filled by residents of the Central Valley. The figure includes positions created under the project’s Community Benefits Agreement, which aims to support employment opportunities and workforce development.

Construction activity has also generated nearly 27 billion USD in economic output across California. Up to 1,700 workers report to construction sites each day.

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