Redondo junction dedicated. (Alameda corridor).

Led by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta, California Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing Maria Contreras-Sweet, top transportation and railroad executives helped the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) dedicate the massive Redondo Junction Grade Separation on August 21.

At a ceremony attended by more than 300 people, Secretary Mineta called the Alameda Corridor "a national model of innovative financing and public-private cooperation, demonstrating the kind of creativity and resourcefulness we will need in answering our intermodal transportation challenges in the future."

A key component of the Alameda Corridor project, the Redondo Junction Grade Separation is a bridge more than 800 yards long and five stories high. It carries Metrolink and Amtrak trains over the Alameda Corridor cargo mainlines, Washington Boulevard, the Los Angeles River, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail lines and Soto Street.

The area - near the border between the cities of Vernon and Los Angeles - is characterized by multiple freight and passenger rail lines, as well as heavy truck traffic. Nearby are transcontinental freight rail yards operated by BNSF and Union Pacific railroads, as well as Union Station and the Amtrak rail yard. Freight trains and street traffic no longer have to wait for passenger trains to pass. By softening a curve in the previous alignment used by Amtrak and Metrolink and eliminating conflicts with freight lines, commuting times into and out of Union Station have been reduced by an estimated minimum of 3-4 minutes because passenger trains can now travel at greater speeds.

The Redondo Junction Grade Separation provides multiple benefits to the public by completely separating freight rail lines from passenger rail lines and street traffic," said Long Beach City Councilman Frank Colonna, chairman of the ACTA Governing Board.

Construction of the Redondo Junction Grade Separation began in July 1999 and was dedicated in August 2001. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) performed B9 percent of the construction management work, 29 percent of the design work and 19 percent of actual construction. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which operates the Metrolink system of commuter trains, contributed $7 million of the $47 million costs, and has assumed responsibility for maintenance.

ACTA is completing several other projects in the area to separate rail lines and street traffic, preventing delays and making all transportation movements more efficient.