Alameda Corridor, USA
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA -- After more than two decades of planning and five years of construction, the $2.4 billion Alameda Corridor freight rail expressway has opened on time and on budget, speeding the flow of cargo to and from the nation’s two busiest ports, providing a model for public-private partnerships and delivering benefits to the nation, state and region.
Joined by top transportation and elected officials from across the country, project executives simultaneously pulled levers that gave a green light for the first freight train to run on the Alameda Corridor. More than 1,000 people attended a grand opening ceremony at a Los Angeles rail yard adjacent to the Alameda Corridor. Among them were U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta; California Governor Gray Davis; Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill.
"By more efficiently linking the ports on the San Pedro Bay with the transcontinental rail network, the Alameda Corridor will greatly enhance American trade with the Pacific Rim, strengthening both the regional and national economies," Secretary Mineta said. "Its successful completion demonstrates what we can accomplish with innovative financing and public-private cooperation, and it provides a powerful paradigm for the kinds of intermodal infrastructure investment we want to encourage as we begin working with the Congress to develop legislation reauthorizing America’s surface transportation programs."
"This impressive project brings together the public and private sectors for the first consolidated rail link of its kind," Governor Davis said. "Speeding the movement of freight to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will significantly help two of the world’s busiest ports keep pace with future expansion and keep California’s economy on the fast track in the 21st Century."
The Alameda Corridor is a series of bridges, underpasses, overpasses and street improvements that separate freight rail, passenger and street traffic. By consolidating four railroad branch lines serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Alameda Corridor eliminates more than 200 at-grade crossings where rail and street traffic conflict, thereby easing traffic congestion and significantly reducing air and noise pollution from idling trains, trucks and cars. The project stretches through eight cities along a 20-mile route. The centerpiece is the Mid-Corridor Trench, a below-ground trainway running parallel to Alameda Street for 10 miles.
The Alameda Corridor was built by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA), a joint powers authority governed by the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. When operations begin April 15, the Alameda Corridor will be operated by a unique partnership between the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.
"The Alameda Corridor is a model of good government because it brought together multiple government agencies and the private sector in cooperation to deliver a project that benefits not only the parties involved but also the entire country, the state and the region as well as individual communities and residents," said ACTA Governing Board Chairman Frank Colonna, a member of the Long Beach City Council.
"The Alameda Corridor demonstrates that we don’t have to sacrifice quality of life to enjoy the economic benefits of port expansion and international trade," said ACTA Governing Board Vice Chairwoman Janice Hahn, a member of the Los Angeles City Council.
The adjacent ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the two busies seaports in the nation, handling more than $200 billion in cargo in 2001. Approximately half of the cargo -- including everyday consumer products such as electronics, apparel and shoes -- is transported by train outside of Southern California to destinations across the country. The volume of cargo containers handled by the ports doubled in the 1990s to approximately 8 million units. Those volumes continue to increase, and the ports project more than 24 million units by 2020.
Today, there are 20-35 daily train trips on the branch lines serving the ports, with trains averaging 10-20 mph. The Alameda Corridor is designed to accommodate the 100 daily train trips to and from the ports projected for 2020, with trains averaging 30-40 mph.
By providing a more efficient way to transport cargo, the Alameda Corridor delivers significant economic benefits to the nation, state and region. Leaving a legacy beyond construction of a public works project, the Alameda Corridor also provided direct benefits to local communities and residents. Among them were:
- Construction industry-specific job training for 1,281 local residents, including 637 placed in union apprenticeships.
- On-the-job training and education for more than 420 young adults who performed multiple community beautification projects through the Alameda Corridor Conservation Corps program.
- Aggresive outreach and technical assistance for disadvantaged businesses, which earned Alameda Corridor contracts with more than $285 million.
- The repaving of Alameda Street and other improvements to improve traffic flow, including new turn lanes, curbs and gutters and synchronization of traffic signals.
- Extensive landscaping and other beautification work along Alameda Street, including thousands of new trees, decorative lighting and paving and public plazas.
The Alameda Corridor was funded through a unique blend of public and private sources, including $1.16 billion in revenue bonds sold by ACTA, a $400 million loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation, $394 million from the ports and $347 million in grants administered by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Bond debt service will be paid with fees collected from the railroads for the transportation of cargo containers outside of Southern California.
Construction began in 1997, and ground was broken on the Mid-Corridor Trench in December 1998. Alameda Corridor officials credited extensive multi-jurisdictional cooperation and coordination with keeping the complex project on schedule and under budget.
The Alameda Corridor will dramatically improve railroad and highway access to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The two ports comprise the San Pedro Bay Ports, the largest port complex in the United States. The complex is located on the doorstep of the Pacific Rim - the largest and fastest growing marketplace in the world.
As a result of the dedication of the two ports and their staffs and the other members of the joint powers authority that make up the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA), the corridor was developed to consolidate the operations of the three freight railroad carriers into one high-speed, high-capacity corridor. The route, to be constructed along Alameda Street, will include the elimination of all at-grade highway crossings of the railroad, while consolidating 90 miles of branch line tracks into one 20-mile corridor. A distinct improvement to the region will be the elimination of traffic conflicts at nearly 200 at-grade highway crossings of the tracks, saving an estimated 15,000 hours of delay per day for vehicles sifting and waiting to cross as the trains pass. In addition, Alameda Street will be improved to provide better access from the Ports to freeway ramps. In doing so, the Alameda Corridor will accommodate the increase in rail and truck traffic associated with the Ports’ growth, while significantly reducing the negative impacts of that growth on the environment and neighboring communities.
The implementation of this program will have far-reaching impacts of national significance for the economic vitality of Southern California and the Nation.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
- Reduce Highway Traffic Delays
- Improve Safety
- Improve Rail Operations
- Mitigate Environmental Impacts
- Improves Economy
- Maximize Cost Effectiveness
- Minimize Construction Impacts
The 16-member ACTA board determined by consensus that certain objectives would be achieved by the selected plan for the Alameda Corridor.
The Alameda Street route was chosen for the corridor in part because it would:
- Provide convenient connection points with the railroad main lines for travel outside Los Angeles.
- Provide convenient rail connections to the San Pedro Bay Ports
- Impact the least number of residents as compared to alternative corridors studied
PROJECT DEFINITION
RAILROAD COMPONENT
- Consolidation of Railroad Traffic
- Double Track Railroad with Centralized Control
- Depressed Track Railroad from 25th Street to Route 91
- At-Grade RAilway with Highway Grade Separations South of Route 91
- Continuous At-Grade Drill Track to Serve Local Industries
HIGHWAY COMPONENT
- Reconstruction of Alameda Street with Left-turn Pockets and New Signalization from I-10 to Route 91
- Alameda Street Widened to Six Lanes from Route 91 to Ports
PROJECT LIMITS
- North Terminus: At Junction Of Main Line Railroad Tracks East of the L.A. River, North of Washington Boulevard
- South Terminus: Terminal Island and San Pedro Ports
NORTHERN PORTION (North of Route 91)
Through Cities of: Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Lynwood, South Gate, Compton and Los Angles County
Rail Component
The improvements include depressing the two main line railroad tracks approximately 30 ft (below grade) between vertical concrete walls to be located 47 ft apart. Within the trench limits, a 12-ft-wide maintenance road will be provided. The main cross streets will be constructed on short bridges over the trench. The distance to the tracks below grade would provide for future railroad electrification. An at-grade drill track would be provided to maintain rail service to industries situated along the corridor. The lowered railroad will be provided with proper security fencing and access for emergency response.
Highway Component
Current plans will require the reconstruction of the existing Alameda Street and the east side frontage road, commonly called Alameda East or "Little" Alameda Street. in addition, left-turn lanes will be added to the major cross street intersections. New and improved signalization will be provided to promote improved traffic operations along the four-lane Alameda Street. "Little Alameda Street would remain as an intermittent two-lane local street providing access to businesses along the route.
SOUTHERN PORTION
Through Cities of: Carson, Los Angeles and Los Angeles County
Rail Component
The planned corridor tracks will remain at-grade through this southern portion, in order to maintain access to the Dolores Railroad Classification Yard and access to the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF). This will also allow the corridor to cross over the Compton Creek. The construction of highway overpasses will eliminate traffic delays at intersections caused by trains.
Highway Component
Alameda Street will be widened from four to six lanes, between SR91 and the ports. East-west streets will be grade-separated from the highway and rail components along Alameda Street.
SUMMARY OF PROJECT BENEFITS
The Southern California region will realize distinct benefits from the development of the Alameda Corridor.
Key benefits:
- Highway traffic delays and congestion will be significantly reduced.
- Rail, vehicular, and pedestrian traffic operations will be safer.
- Significant economic and environmental benefits will be realized.
- Railroad operations will be significantly improved.
- 77% reduction of track-miles
- Elimination of conflicts at nearly 200 at-grade highway crossings
- State-of-the-art train and traffic control systems
COST AND SCHEDULE
The total project cost is estimated at $1.8 billion. This cost includes budgets for design, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocations, and construction to develop the Alameda Corridor rail and highway improvements.
A partnership of federal, state, local, and private interests is required to move this project forward. A combination of government grants, port reserves, and/or revenue bonds will be used to address the funding requirements.
It is anticipated that the corridor will be completed and open for operation by the year 2000.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
The summary of environmental benefits are:
Traffic Delays at Grade Crossings Reduced by 90 Percent
Every day, over 15,000 hours of vehicle delay will be eliminated by consolidating rail traffic and eliminating highway grade crossings.
Noise and Vibration Reduced by 90 Percent
The construction of tracks in the below-grade trench, track construction on new base material, and the use of continuous welded track will help to promote a quieter operation. Also, noise walls will be provided, where appropriate, to mitigate vehicle noise along Alameda Street, in residential neighborhoods and other sensitive areas’.
Train Stoppages Reduced by 75 Percent
Assisted by state-of-the-art technology in centralized traffic-control systems, the double-track corridor will reduce the number of times trains have to stop and wait for other trains to pass. Today, when an 8,000-ft-long unit train stops, the congestion and related pollution from train and vehicle backup can have a significant impact on the area’s air quality. This project will be a real benefit to the area by eliminating a significant number of these occurrences.
Locomotive Hours of Operation Reduced by 30 Percent Train speeds will double and the stoppage and idling of locomotives will be reduced.
Railroad Emissions Reduced by 28 Percent
This benefit is realized by the advent of the benefits noted above, as well as by the consolidation of rail traffic itself. As an example, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway would no longer travel the additional distance along the Harbor Subdivision route to reach the Port area. The corridor could also be electrified in the future.
Truck Traffic Reduced by 23 Percent
The construction of on-dock rail facilities and the increase in cargo (containers) on rail will reduce the truck traffic.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach move the goods that are vital to manufacturers, distributors, and consumers in the Los Angeles area, California, and the Nation. Today, about 40 percent of the Ports’ container traffic moves by railroad to points across the Nation. This figure will grow to 50 percent within the next decade. Long-range expansion plans of the two ports provide for the overall development strategy necessary for Southern California and the Nation to reap the full economic benefits of the explosive Pacific Rim trade. Combined with the Alameda Corridor project, these development plans will provide:
Employment (through the year 2020)
An additional 700,000 local jobs An additional 2 million jobs nationwide
Construction Jobs
10,000 construction-related local jobs
Development
New business opportunities for the region and better development planning in the local communities along the corridor.