MERCED, CA — Stantec has been selected to design the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s extension from Merced to Madera, a key section between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The extension covers 33.9 miles and will include 40 structures. The Merced to Madera design contract is valued at $41 million, which is expected to be delivered over about two years.

Stantec will finalize the project configuration footprint, advance design work to refine costs and travel-time enhancements, and map right-of-way needs and utility relocations. The Merced to Madera section is the key junction that will connect the 500-mile-long project between the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

“The California High-Speed Rail Authority 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 Jose de Jesus Martinez, Stantec’s Project/Contract Manager. “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 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.”

Stantec has worked with California High-Speed Rail for eight years, including as project/construction manager on Construction Package 2-3. For this project, Stantec will lead a team of local, international, Small Business Enterprise, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise firms.