Baldwin Avenue Grade Separation Project, El Monte, CA

AVA’s Role: AVA is providing construction management services, with responsibilities for inspection and safety oversight. The project includes a concrete railroad bridge, a steel pedestrian bridge, a roadway underpass, shoofly tracks, retaining walls, a pump station, landscaping, drainage, sewer and water improvements, and extensive utility relocation work. AVA is responsible for coordinating its services with the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), the City of El Monte, the City of Temple City, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, the Los Angeles County Sanitation District, and numerous utility companies, including Edison, AT&T, Sprint, Southern California Gas, and California American Water.

Description: The Baldwin Avenue Grade Separation Project, located in the City of El Monte, required Baldwin Avenue to be lowered approximately twenty-five (25) feet below the existing Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) tracks. The project required construction of a shoofly track to maintain uninterrupted UPRR revenue-service operations prior to construction of the new railroad bridge. The bridge superstructure was constructed with prestressed concrete girders and a cast-in-place concrete deck, while the bridge and retaining wall foundations are supported on driven steel H-piles averaging 45 feet in depth. The Baldwin Avenue underpass roadway was constructed in accordance with Public Works (Greenbook) and Caltrans standard construction specifications. The project also includes a 45-foot-deep, below-grade concrete pump station; a new access road; resurfacing and restoration of adjacent streets; dedicated pedestrian walkways; street lighting; roadway signage; traffic signals; road striping; a 36-inch-diameter sewer siphon; sewer pipelines; relocation of water, gas, and power lines; and installation of new curbs, gutters, and sidewalks.