FRESNO (KMJ) — The ribbon has been cut on a realigned Fresno section of Highway 99. The $290m project moved the road approximately 100 feet to the west to create room for high speed rail.
Construction started on the section of road between Clinton and Ashlan at the end of 2015. The realignment work also improved traffic operations and enhanced safety.
As part of his comments ahead of the ribbon cutting, Fresno’s Mayor Lee Brand assured those present that the the Central Valley section of high speed rail was still being built.
“Governor Newsom traveled to Fresno to meet with me and the mayors of Bakersfield and Merced specifically to talk about the future of high speed rail and most importantly his commitment to complete the valley as it’s currently underway.
“I’ll leave it at that. It went well beyond that.”
Governor Newsom announced during his first State of the State speech on Tuesday that the original high speed rail plan was unfeasible.
“Right now, there simply isn’t a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone from San Francisco to L.A. I wish there were.”
That prompted President Trump to ask for return of the federal funds supporting the project. Newsom responded with “we’re not giving it back” (click here to read more).
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
