Paso Padre Railroad Grade Separation; Fremont, CA.

Design engineer responsible for the preliminary geometric design and bridge layouts.

This project consisted of a Rail Road Grade Separation for Paseo Padre Parkway, a four-lane median divided thoroughfare (East-West) with a Union Pacific and an abandoned VTA railroad freight tracks (North-South).

The six alternatives included either an overpass or an underpass with: a) the relocation of both tracks to the center span, b) relocation of the north-bound track to the west, or c) relocation of the south-bound track to the east. The realignment of the UPRR tracks included a total of six miles of heavy rail tracks. The alternatives included provisions to include a future double track BART heavy rail passenger line to extend the Fremont line to Warm Springs.

Of special concern was the Irvington Pipeline, which is a 48-inch water main carrying water from the Whitfield Reservoir to central Fremont. The 48-inch pipeline crosses under UPRR and the abandoned VTA tracks.

The selected alternative included an underpass of the roadway, with the realignment of the existing UPRR tracks to the east of its existing location, with BART taking over the VTA tracks, and the relocation and lowering of a portion of the 48-inch Irvington Pipeline.

Mr. Otero-Jimenez performed the preliminary design including: horizontal alignment, vertical profile, cross sections, earthwork, grading, and cost estimating for the roadway, the UPRR & BART tracks, and for the water main. GEOPAK software was utilized for the roadway design.