Long-term closure of Mountain Avenue at Duarte Road in Duarte begins Monday for Gold Line work

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Here is the construction notice from the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, the agency building the 11.5-mile addition to the Gold Line between Pasadena and the Azusa/Glendora border. The project is largely funded by Measure R, the half-cent sales tax increase approved by Los Angeles County voters in 2008:

WHO:  Residents / Commuters / Business Owners in the Cities of Monrovia and Duarte.

WHAT: Crews will be constructing grade crossing and intersection improvements on Mountain Avenue in phases north and south of Duarte Road, as part of the 11.5-mile Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension light rail project. The first phase of work, beginning next Monday, May 12, will require a full closure of Mountain Ave. from the center of Duarte Road north (see map) for five months.

To prepare the street for the long-term closure, the intersection of Mountain Ave. and Duarte Road will be closed to thru-traffic in all directions this weekend, beginning tomorrow night, Friday, May 9 at 9 p.m., thru Sunday, May 11 at 5 p.m. After the prep work, Duarte Road will re-open to one lane of traffic in each direction; while Mountain Ave. from the center of Duarte Road north will remain closed for five months. Following completion of the northern improvements, the southern portion of the intersection will be closed for approximately three months.

WHEN: Mountain Avenue will be closed in phases as described below:

Friday, May 9, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. to Sunday, May 11, 2014 at 5:00 p.m.*: The intersection of Mountain Ave. and Duarte Road will be fully closed to thru-traffic in all directions and motorists will be detoured around the closure. At 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 11, Duarte Road will re-open to one lane in each direction. Mountain Ave. will remain closed from the center of Duarte Road north through the railroad crossing for approximately five months (see next bullet).

•(Next Monday) Phase 1 – May 12, 2014 through October 2014*: Mountain Ave. will be closed to thru-traffic from the center of Duarte Road north through the railroad crossing. Duarte Road will remain open, one lane in each direction for eastbound / westbound thru-traffic.

•Phase 2 – October 2014 through Early 2015*: Mountain Ave. will be closed to thru-traffic from the center of Duarte Road south through the intersection. Duarte Road will remain open, one lane in each direction for eastbound / westbound thru-traffic.

The phased closures will be in place 24-hours per day, 7 days per week. Standard construction work hours are 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Note: Occasional longer hours, work on weekends, and/or night work may be performed to complete this work. (*Construction schedules are subject to change).

WHERE: Mountain Ave. – north and south of Duarte Road.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

•Detour routes will be in place during the closures and signage will be posted to direct motorists (see map).

•Pedestrian access will be available through a temporary pedestrian crossing adjacent to the work zone.

•Occasional full closures of the intersection will be implemented to set-up traffic control devices at the beginning and end of each construction phase.

• In addition to the improvements at the railroad crossing, and the realignment of the Mountain Ave./Duarte Road intersection, construction will also include new storm drains, traffic signals, sidewalks and crosswalks.

•Access to all local businesses on Mountain Avenue and Duarte Road will remain open at all times during the street construction.

•Bus stops in this vicinity may be temporarily relocated. For information about:

•MTA bus services call (323) GO-METRO (323-466-3876) or www.metro.net.

•Foothill Transit bus services call (800) RIDE-INFO (800-743-3463) or www.foothilltransit.org.

•Duarte Transit local services call (626) 358-9627 or www.accessduarte.com.

•Monrovia Transit local services call (626) 358-3538 or www.cityofmonrovia.org/planning/page/monrovia-transit

FOR MORE INFORMATION

•Visit www.foothillextension.org

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About the Construction Authority: The Construction Authority is an independent transportation planning and construction agency created in 1998 by the California State Legislature. Its purpose is to extend the Metro Gold Line light rail line from Union Station to Montclair, along the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley. The Construction Authority built the initial segment from Union Station to Pasadena and is underway on the Gold Line Foothill Extension. The Foothill Extension is a nearly $2 billion extension that will connect Pasadena to Montclair in two construction segments – Pasadena to Azusa and Azusa to Montclair. The 11.5-mile Pasadena to Azusa segment is fully funded by Measure R and will be completed in September 2015, when it will be turned over to Metro for testing and pre-revenue service. Metro will determine when the line will open for passenger service. Three design-build contracts, totaling more than $550 million, are being overseen by the Construction Authority to complete the Pasadena to Azusa segment. The Azusa to Montclair segment is environmentally cleared and is proceeding to advanced conceptual engineering in 2014.