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Friday, February 10, 2012
Preliminary work starts on green line
by Suzanne Hurt, published on March 15, 2010 at 9:31 PM
Storyline: Transit
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Preliminary work is paving the way for the first mile of the Sacramento Regional Transit District's newest light rail line, which will one day run to Sacramento International Airport.
A contractor's crew has begun identifying the location of utilities — water, sewer, electric and phone lines — that must be relocated before the tracks for the new "green line"are laid. The line will initially span a little more than a mile, starting downtown at the Sacramento County courthouse at Eighth and H streets and running north to a terminus at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard.
The new line is now expected to open in January 2011, rather than November as initially reported, said RT spokeswoman Alane Masui. She said she did not know the specifics behind the delay, except that the project's notice to proceed wasn't issued as soon as expected.
Two weeks ago, 80-foot pieces of straight rail were delivered downtown via railroad flat cars and flatbed truck.
"It's quite a ballet to unload that track," said green line construction project manager John Gaines of the engineering firm 4LEAF Inc.
Last week, a company that specializes in welding rail began welding those into 400-foot segments at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard. The company is expected to finish welding pieces of track together Tuesday. The segments will be stored in parking lanes on Seventh Street between B Street, just north of the levee, and Richards Boulevard.
Crews have been digging potholes downtown and at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard to search for utilities to relocate for six weeks. Utilities will start being moved in the next week or so. Track installation is expected to start in June and continue through October.
Demolition also has begun on an old building at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard, where one of the stations will be built.
The line's expansion to the airport — another 11.7 miles of track — isn't expected to be constructed for eight to 10 years. The first mile is being paid for with local funding. Measure A sales tax funds will finance most of the $44 million project to build 1.1 miles of single track and two stations.
State and federal funds will be sought to build the rest of the line, according to RT General Manager Mike Wiley.
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swordfish7
March 16, 2010 | 2:42 AM
Even if it takes 10 years, the light rail line to the airport will be an invaluable asset to the community. Once in place, riders will wonder how they ever lived without it, especially if the urban growth projections prior to the depression become a real possibility again. Having relocated from Chicago, I can testify that it's a liberating feeling to be riding on the O'Hare line passing miles of barely moving vehicles in the parking lot formerly known as the Kennedy Expressway! Thanks Ms. Hurt for another enlightening article!
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ltrunner10
March 16, 2010 | 9:31 AM
Having lived for a few years in the Portland, OR area and taking their light rail to the airport several times, the Sacramento Rail Line should have a very positive impact. Maybe you can do a follow-up article about the Portland Light Rail Line and its history for compare and contrast?
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relentlesscactus
March 16, 2010 | 10:23 AM
A sin. Tranist funds for operations and capital do not come from the same pot. However, in this environment, to build a terribly expensive per mile train to nowhere-for-many-years is a slap in the face to transit users, and virtually guarantees RT will have trouble for many years gaining voter confidence for any operating or capital money. Not only that, this line which they say will run from R Street to Richards Blvd. will have terrible ridership because it doesn't go anywhere, and therefore it will have a terrible operating ratio and add appreciably to RT's operating budget -- which will then be at the expense of other lines which actually carry people that will then have to be cut. My suspicion is that RT will make it part of the Gold Line and pull up the tracks into the Amtrak station, which will make Thomas Enterprises happy and allow then to go full bore on the new Stadium and completely screw rail riders who will then have a 4-5 block walk to transfer between the Capital Corridor trains and light rail, instead of the cross-platform transfer available now. All the writing is on the wall as they slowly screw us to feed the obsession with the Railyards Moneyhole. This is not going to end well. Indeed, it is not going to end, only bleed.
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