High-speed rail work will close McKinley Avenue for a year. How it affects your commute

McKinley Avenue will be closed east of Highway 99 in west-central Fresno for about a year for construction of a new overpass above existing freight railroad tracks and future high-speed rail tracks.

The McKinley closure is set to begin on Monday and continue through July 2025 between Highway 99 and West Avenue. The McKinley Avenue off-ramp from Highway 99 will also be closed, according to the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

The overpass is to create a grade separation to eliminate the potential for collisions between California’s future high-speed trails and vehicles on McKinley Avenue. The overpass will also do away with the existing Union Pacific Railroad crossing at McKinley Avenue.

Also to be closed as part of the construction are West Avenue between Golden State Boulevard and Olive Avenue; and Weber Avenue between Clinton and McKinley avenues, but local traffic will be permitted on Weber between Clinton and Weldon avenues.

Signs will be in place to direct drivers to detour routes, and access to businesses in the area will be maintained, the rail authority reports.

Several suggested detours around the work area include:

• Eastbound McKinley Avenue: From the west side of Highway 99, traffic heading east on McKinley Avenue will be directed north on Marks Avenue, east on Clinton Avenue, and then south on West Avenue back to McKinley.
• Northbound Golden State Boulevard: Drivers going north on Golden State Boulevard to eastbound McKinley Avenue will be detoured onto Highway 99 north to Clinton Avenue, east on Clinton to West Avenue, and south on West back to McKinley.
• Northbound Highway 99: Traffic heading north on Highway 99 to McKinley Avenue will be routed north to the Clinton Avenue off-ramp, and then either west to Marks Avenue and south to McKinley, or east to West Avenue and south to McKinley.
• Southbound Highway 99: Drives heading south on Highway 99 to eastbound McKinley Avenue will be directed to take the Clinton Avenue off-ramp to head east to West Avenue and then south to McKinley.
• Southbound Weber Avenue: Trucks heading south on Weber Avenue to westbound McKinley Avenue will be detoured west on Clinton Avenue to Marks Avenue, and then south to McKinley Avenue.

The McKinley overpass is one of numerous structures in Fresno that will create grade separations between street traffic and high-speed trains that, by sometime between 2030 and 2033, are expected to carry passengers at speeds up to 220 mph through the San Joaquin Valley between Merced and Bakersfield.

Future extensions of the line are in the planning stages west and north to San Jose and south to Palmdale, Burbank, Los Angeles and Anaheim.