First soil samples from California’s high speed rail project

The first drillings for the extraction of soil samples taken from the first section, between Madera and Fresno, of the proposed California’s 520-mile, $68.4 billion rail project, begun last Tuesday in downtown Fresno. Soil samples were taken at five feet intervals using a boring rig that was set up at a depth of 100 feet.

A preliminary evaluation by geologists revealed several soil layers consisting of fine and coarse grain, sand, clay and silt. A cone penetrometer was also used to determine soil density and conditions at the same depth. Evaluating the results, engineers will be able to determine the appropriate foundations for the structures above. The consortium of Tutor Perini Corp. of Sylmar, Zachry Construction of Texas and Pasadena-based Parsons Corp. won the $985 million contract for the first Madera-Fresno 29-mile section of the project, claiming also, among other teams the second $1.5 -$2 billion contract for the design and construction of a 60-mile stretch of California's high-speed rail project south of Fresno. After the project is completed, electric trains will link San Francisco and Los Angeles at a speed of up to 220 mph.

Source: The Fresno Bee