Peabody Road overpass prep work scheduled for 2013

FAIRFIELD — Workers should be busy in 2013 doing a few phases of the Peabody Road overpass project, though the phases that will most affect motorists are still 18 months away.

Peabody Road is to be closed for a year near Vanden Road starting in June 2014. That will allow construction of a bridge to take vehicles over the train tracks. Vehicles must presently wait at crossing arms while trains pass.

Fairfield in February announced that Peabody Road would be closed for a year starting in June 2013. A few weeks ago, it changed the closure starting date until June 2014.

The city in a new press release gives details of what will be happening on the project in the months prior to the closure.

Property needs to be acquired and all private property owners have signed agreements. The deals should go through escrow over the next two months. Acquisition of property owned by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. should be completed by September 2013, the press release said.

Workers will begin relocating utilities early next year. They will be moving earth, digging trenches and laying pipes in the area for nine months to a year.

They must also relocate Union Pacific railroad tracks to make room for the overpass piers. They must do so in such a way as to not interrupt Capitol Corridor passenger service and Union Pacific freight service. Prior to relocating the tracks, workers will build the southern half of a pedestrian underpass, the press release said.

Finally, Fairfield must choose a construction contractor to build the overpass. It will prepare a contract package to go out to bid in the summer.

The year’s delay in closing Peabody Road for construction came about in part because Fairfield wants to start the project during June. That way, the closure will affect only one school year, city officials said. Vanden High School and Golden West Middle School are near the construction site.

The Peabody Road overpass project is part of the larger Fairfield-Vacaville train station project. The station is to be built during coming years near Vanden Road. The cost for the train station and overpass is about $54 million.

Some work for the project has already been completed. This includes building Viking Road to help provide access to Vanden High School during train station construction, removing trees along the train tracks east of Peabody Road and demolishing a warehouse on Vanden Road.

Fairfield and Vacaville are working together on the train station project, with AIM Consulting doing public outreach.

Reach Barry Eberling at 427-6929 or beberling@dailyrepublic.net. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/beberlingdr.

Barry Eberling

Barry Eberling has been a reporter with the Daily Republic since 1987. He covers Solano County government, transportation, growth and the environment. He received his bachelors of art degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his masters degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.

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