CHSRA Selects Stantec to Design Merced-Madera Extension

Courtesy of CHSRA

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Dec.19 announced that it has awarded Edmonton, Alberta, Canada-based engineering firm Stantec a $41 million contract to design the 33.9-mile Merced to Madera extension, the key junction that will connect the 500-mile-long project between the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

The contract, which is expected to be delivered over approximately two years, will include finalizing the project configuration, advancing design work to refine costs and travel-time enhancements, and mapping right-of-way needs and utility relocations.

“CHSRA has embraced a goal of guiding the evolution of California’s transportation infrastructure into a vibrant, dynamic system that not only achieves an attractive mode of transportation for our communities but serves as an important economic driver within California,” said Stantec Project/Contract Manager Jose de Jesus Martinez. “We are proud to be part of a better and more sustainable transportation future for California.”

The project will be partially funded by $25 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.

“High-speed rail is going to improve the transportation landscape in California, with the potential to impact transportation on a national level,” said Brian Norris, Stantec’s Transportation Business Line Leader. “We see the future of transportation as clean, green, and better designed for passengers and communities. California High-Speed Rail is a significant step in the right direction.”

According to Stantec, the firm has worked with California High-Speed Rail for eight years, including project/construction manager on Construction Package 2-3. For this project, Stantec says it will lead a team of local, international, Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) firms.

Currently, Stantec firm is serving as the lead engineer on the $1.9 billion Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) expansion. In Chicago, Stantec is leading the design of the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization Program. Additionally, the firm was also selected to provide infrastructure engineering, procurement and construction services on Montreal’s Réseau express métropolitain (light rail network). And in Ontario, Stantec is the technical advisor on the Hurontario LRT and the Ontario Line—both major projects within the province’s C$28.5 billion capital investment in transit.