The California High-Speed Rail Authority said Tuesday that it had completed its fifth overcrossing this year.

The latest finished project is the McCombs Road overcrossing, located north of Wasco in Kern County. It is 415 feet long and 40 feet wide.

This overpass realigns McCombs Road slightly north, over SR 43 and future high-speed rail lines. Work on the overcrossing began in 2020 and required 15 pre-cast concrete girders, 158 deck panels, and more than 2,300 cubic yards of concrete to complete.

“The completion of McCombs Road shows we are one step closer to wrapping up the first leg of high-speed rail construction in between Tulare and Kern counties,” said Garth Fernandez, Central Valley Regional Director, in a news release. “Our goal is to have this section of high-speed rail construction completed this fall.”

The High-Speed Rail Authority also completed the Elkhorn Avenue overcrossing in Fresno County on July 6, grade separations at Idaho and Dover avenues in Kings County on May 3, and the Cedar Viaduct in Fresno County on May 11.

The authority says it has created more than 11,000 construction jobs since the start of construction with the majority going to Central Valley residents.

Currently, there are 30 active high-speed rail construction sites across the Central Valley. In addition, the authority reports receiving environmental clearance for 422 miles of the planned system from the Bay Area to the Los Angeles Basin.