The suggested alignment I speak of heads due south from a junction just a couple of miles east of Bakersfield; then enters a canyon a few miles east of the grapevine entry, eventually base tunneling into the extreme northwest corner of the same regional high desert valley that Palmdale is in; but it remains many miles from Plamdale itself.

Next it skirts the northwestern fringes of that valley for a ways. Then turning southwest, it base tunnels into a canyon a few miles north of Santa Clarita. It would would then junction into the old Saugus Line somewhere near the town of Santa Clarita. There are several recreational reservoirs in canyons and valleys not far to the west of of this suggested alignment.

It could easily connect to the proposed Las Vegas routes in the extreme northwest corner of this high desert valley.

To answer the question as to whether this suggested route has been already looked at, I have seen absolutely nothing in any E.I.R. statement referring to it; so I doubt it - could o' missed it though.

If I've kept my geology straight, I believe it would cross the San Andreas somewhere south of Santa Clarita on existing grade level r.o.w..

OPB