A $3.5 billion contract approved Monday gives the High-Speed Rail Authority the team that will begin laying tracks on the 119 miles of Central Valley line.

Additionally, the board moved Fresno and Hanford forward as possible sites for the system’s heavy maintenance facility.

The board of directors on Monday selected Kiewit Corporation, Stacey Witbeck, and Herzog to install track, the overhead contact system, train controls and communications for the line, according to an HSRA news release.

All three companies are U.S.-based. Kiewit is out of Nebraska, Stacey Witbeck is from Alameda, and Herzog is based in Missouri.

The action comes as the authority finished track installation at the 150-acre southern railhead facility in Kern County, allowing easier transportation of building materials.

Ian Choudri, authority CEO, said that with the railhead track complete and many of the rail materials under contract, progress is moving forward “quickly and economically.”

“Bringing on board the team that will build California’s high-speed rail track and systems marks the moment this program transforms from major civil construction into delivering an operating railway,” Choudri said in the release.

Heavy Maintenance Facility Could Mean 2,000 Jobs

The project’s heavy maintenance facility could potentially employ more than 2,000 people. Rail advocates throughout the Central Valley have long lobbied to have the facility built near their cities to reap the benefits of specialized and likely high-paying jobs to maintain the trains.

In a news release, Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, said having the location in Fresno or Hanford would be a boon for the area.

“It will ensure good-paying jobs that will help grow and strengthen our economy in the Central Valley. And, high-speed rail will be transformative, connecting California as never before — and the heart of it will run through Fresno and the Central Valley,” Arambula said.