FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – On July 8, McKinley Avenue will close east of Highway 99 to West Avenue for a year.
The reason? A new grade separation project by the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
“That grade separation or over-crossing will allow people to cross over existing Union Pacific Railroad and future High-Speed Rail tracks,” said Toni Tinoco, the deputy regional director for California High-Speed Rail Authority.
Tinoco says the crossing will be on McKinley, to head over the tracks, and future tracks, running parallel to Golden State Boulevard.
A roundabout will also be built, as well as an additional connector road for nearby businesses.
Tinoco says there are many positives that could come from it.
“You don’t have people waiting or trying to get around the rail crossings when they go down. That increases safety significantly,” said Tinoco.
“Also, air quality. We know that cars idle when they’re waiting for a train to get by,” she said.
However, some impacted residents like Randy Aaronian, owner of AR Transmission on McKinley Avenue right off Highway 99 for the past 42 years, say the construction, road closures, and additional headaches caused aren’t worth it.