The fourth and final bridge change-out for the San Mateo Bridges Replacement Project will take place on the weekend of April 16 & 17.
The bridge replacement will require the complete shutdown of Poplar Avenue, from Ramona to Claremont streets, with continuous weekend track work beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 15, through 5 a.m. on Monday, April 18. Construction activity includes removing the old bridge structure and rolling in the new bridge.
Because of the mandatory track closure that weekend, Caltrain will operate a bus bridge using SamTrans bus service between its Hayward Park and Burlingame stations on Saturday, April 16, to accommodate the replacement of the bridge. All passengers traveling through San Mateo on Saturday will be required to board buses between the Hayward Park and Burlingame stations. By Sunday, April 17, Caltrain is expected to be back in service and trains will be using one track, known as single-tracking, through the project area to provide service.
Information on the temporary service change will appear on the visual message signs at stations and conductors will be making regular announcements onboard trains as well. In addition, ambassadors will be at all three stations Hayward Park, San Mateo and Burlingame to assist people.
Caltrain, in cooperation with the City of San Mateo, is replacing the four rail bridges located at Tilton, Monte Diablo, Santa Inez and Poplar Avenues, which are all more than 100 years old and no longer meet current seismic safety standards. The $38 million project will ensure that the aging bridges are safe and equipped to meet the region’s future transportation needs, including new electrified rail service, and improved traffic flow on city streets. The project is expected to be complete by October 2016.
For more information about the project, visit the website at www.caltrain.com/smbridges. For a copy of the bus bridge map, visit www.caltrain.com/busbridge.
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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. Caltrain has enjoyed five years of consecutive monthly ridership increases, surpassing more than 60,000 average weekday riders earlier this year. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad celebrated 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent by 2040 and add more service to more stations.
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