Barstow preps for a massive rail project — and a transformation

By Julie Sneider, Senior Associate Editor 

On Jan. 26, 2023, the city of Barstow, California, will host a ground-breaking ceremony for an $80 million bridge replacement project — the first part of a construction boom that will forever change life as the city’s residents know it. 

Built in 1930 and modified in 1943, the two-lane steel and wood North First Avenue Bridge carries cars and trucks over BNSF Railway Co. property. Replacing the structurally deficient bridge is key to Barstow’s preparation for the eventual construction of BNSF’s $1.5 billion, state-of-the-art and master-planned rail hub known as the Barstow International Gateway. The 4,500-acre site on the city’s west side will consist of a rail yard, intermodal facility and warehouses for transloading freight from international and domestic containers.  

The rail complex will be a major boost for the nation’s supply chain by enabling the direct transfer of containers from ships at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to trains traveling through the Alameda Corridor on BNSF's mainline to Barstow. Once the containers arrive at the new Barstow gateway, they’ll be processed, staged and built into trains moving east on BNSF’s network. Westbound freight will be processed at the hub before trains transport it to the ports and other California terminals, Barstow and BNSF officials say. 

When completed, the BNSF hub will result in thousands of new direct and indirect jobs for the region and a doubling of Barstow’s current population, which now stands at about 25,000 people. 

“This [BNSF] project will transform our city,” says Barstow City Manager Willie Hopkins. 

The North First Avenue Bridge replacement will be the first of many infrastructure projects that will be necessary to prepare for that transformation and the new rail facility. 

The bridge is a main thoroughfare for city residents traveling to schools, hospitals and other services, Hopkins says. But it’s also deficient in its superstructure, substructure and the overall structural evaluation, according to the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority. Moreover, it’s considered functionally obsolete due to its geometry and substandard vertical clearance. 

“From a logistics perspective, you can move anything across this country from Barstow.” — Willie Hopkins, city manager of Barstow, California
Photo provided by The Ferraro Group

The new structure will be concrete, about 1,179 feet long with a width of 50 feet that expands to over 62 feet to accommodate a left turn lane that will lead to the new bridge. A wider sidewalk with 8-foot shoulders will be added to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists.  

The original bridge will be demolished when the new one is completed and fully functional, Hopkins says. State and federal dollars, along with Measure I sales-tax proceeds, will pay for the project, which is expected to take about 24 months. 

Construction of the new North First Avenue Bridge will be the first of three bridge projects and one of several infrastructure changes that will occur as Barstow preps for the BNSF project. Construction of the other bridge structures — one over the Mojave River and the other over the river’s overflow area — is expected to begin in two to three years. 

Meanwhile, Barstow city planners are developing a blueprint for the other infrastructure, housing and support services that will be needed to accommodate the surge in population and accompanying traffic. 

“For this massive rail hub, we’ll be looking at some modifications to our wastewater treatment facility, if not building an additional one,” says Hopkins. “The other thing that we anticipate is a very significant growth in our housing requirements. Right now, we are planning for what we refer to as 3,000 rooftops. Obviously, if we bring in that level of housing it will have an impact on our existing infrastructure, so we are looking at significant upgrades to roads and all utilities.” 

The timing for BNSF’s choice of Barstow — announced in October — for the International Gateway hub was “impeccable” because the city had just embarked on a new general plan amendment and was able to incorporate the rail hub, Hopkins says. 

“We already were in the process of planning the ‘what ifs,’” he says. “Fortunately, for us, it’s no longer a ‘what if’ but a ‘how do we do this’ kind of thing.” 

Although the BNSF hub will change the fabric of Barstow and its future, this desert community is no newcomer to railroading. The city traces its railroad roots to 1888 with the arrival of the Santa Fe Rail Road. The town was named after William Barstow Strong, who served as president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway from 1881 to 1889. 

A conceptual image of BNSF’s future Barstow International Gateway site.
bnsfcalifornia.com

“The railroad is basically what brought Barstow into existence,” says Hopkins. “And BNSF presently has an intermodal yard here.” 

Barstow is an ideal location for BNSF’s project, Hopkins believes.  

“If you recall what transpired during the pandemic — the gridlock that existed in Long Beach and Los Angeles? To be able to get freight out of that [port] area and keep the supply-chain moving, there’s no better place than Barstow for that rail hub. We definitely have the space for it.” 

Also, Barstow is where Interstate-15 intersects with I-40, a major east-west highway that stretches from Barstow all the way to Wilmington, North Carolina.  

“That’s why we now consider ourselves the ‘Hub of the West,’” Hopkins says. “Because from a logistics perspective, you can move anything across this country from Barstow.” 

If environmental and other regulatory and permit approvals proceed as officials hope they will, BNSF could break ground in 2024. If construction stays on schedule, the facility could be operational in 2027, Hopkins says. 

Once open, the International Gateway won’t just benefit the city of Barstow, he adds. 

“The project will have an impact on San Bernardino County, the region — the entire state,” he explains. “Most importantly, the nation will benefit primarily because this project will be extremely critical to keeping the supply chain going.” 

Hopkins is enthusiastic when he thinks about the possibilities.  

“Speaking for the citizens of Barstow and as a resident, we want this project badly because it will change the fabric of our city in a very, very positive way,” he says.