intense ground vibration, less noise
along the railway and in nearby
buildings, and more safety around
railway/street crossings. Multiply that
combined benefit times an hourly or
twice-hourly train schedule, and you
can see the significance.
“With the UPRR alignment, the
rail would be at ground level,” Lipkin
said. “We will look at types of fencing
along corridor, and quad gates at
intersections [gates on both sides of
the intersection]. Cities can apply
for quiet zones to request that trains
don’t blow their horns. We will look
at mitigation of noise.” When asked
if sound walls are necessary, Lipkin
added, “This has not been
determined yet.”
RIGHT-OF-WAY &
PROPERTY VALUES
In June, Lipkin visited South County
at the invitation of the City of
Gilroy and the Gilroy Chamber of
62
Commerce for a workshop about
the Authority’s right-of-way process.
In other words, their process to
evaluate, appraise, and acquire
properties in the right-of-way of the
approved HSR alignment.
By law, the Authority must
purchase private property that falls
within the approved high-speed rail
right-of-way, and must do so without
infringing on property owners’ rights.
Lipkin said the process of
evaluating property impacts,
appraisal of fair market value, and
compensation of property owners
will be done on a parcel-by-parcel
basis between right-of-way agents
and landowners.
Owners are promised fair
market value for their property,
but acquisition cannot begin until
the Environmental Impact Report
is complete and the FRA issues a
Record of Decision. The Authority
anticipates that will be in “late 2020.”
The State of California
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
Government Claims Board will review
claims such as loss of property value
before, during, and after high-speed
rail construction.
THE FUNDING
When it comes to funding, Lipkin
explained that “with big infrastructure
projects it’s normal to accrue funds
over time. We have funds to complete
the line from San Francisco to Gilroy
now, as well as finishing current con-
struction in the Central Valley. We
don’t yet have funds for tunneling
through Pacheco Pass.”
“We are still looking at the Gilroy
rail station, and what an interim ser-
vice would look like,” Lipkin said. “It
might be a San Francisco to Gilroy
service initially and then connect later
from Gilroy south to other parts of the
state. We’ll look at that, and at how
Caltrain wants to serve customers,
as a blended service.
gmhtoday.com