REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Informational Report on the State of California's Preferred Alternative for the California High-Speed Rail Project
Report
BACKGROUND
On February 19, 2019, staff from the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) provided an update to the City Council on the California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) Project (Project). At this Study Session, Authority staff provided information on the following: 1) background on the Project, 2) status update of construction activities in the Central Valley, 3) the 2018 CHSR Business Plan, 4) coordination efforts with the Caltrain Electrification project, 5) clarification on California Governor Newsom's February 2019 news release regarding the Project, 6) Project updates and alternatives for the two Northern California segments of the Project including potential impacts to the City of Santa Clara, and 7) next steps and schedule.
Regarding Project alternatives, Authority staff indicated that Alternative B of the San Francisco to San Jose Project segment and Alternative 3 of the San Jose to Merced Project segment have the most impacts within Santa Clara due to the inclusion of a long aerial viaduct as indicated in Table 1 below.
Table 1, City of Santa Clara Alternatives Overlap
San Francisco to San Jose
Project Section
San Jose to Merced
Project Section
Configuration
B|1010|Short Aerial
B|1010|Short Aerial
B|1010|Long Aerial
A|1010|Blended at Grade
Specifically, the Alternatives that include the long aerial viaduct (Alternative B and Alternative 3) are projected to have the following impacts: 1) property impacts to the industrial/commercial properties on the east side of the Caltrain right of way, 2) requirements to covert the existing De La Cruz overcrossing to an undercrossing in addition to lowering the adjacent street interchange and associate vehicle ramps, 3) reconfiguring the existing Santa Clara Station and platform, and 4) significant relocation of various utilities.
Additionally, A...
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