The Foothill Extension crossing of Mountain Avenue near the Monrovia and Duarte border. Photo: Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority.
Here’s the news release with the good news from the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, the independent agency building the 11.5-mile project between Pasadena and the Azusa/Glendora border:
MONROVIA, CA – On the heels of last week’s completion of all light rail track installation for the Foothill Gold Line from Pasadena to Azusa, the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (Construction Authority) announced today that the agency has achieved another major milestone for the project – completion of all 14 at-grade (or street-level) crossings for the 11.5-mile light rail extension. The final grade crossing work, at Mountain Ave., was completed this week – three months ahead of schedule.
Work began on the grade crossings in February 2013, and required long-term closures of each street. Each grade crossing received upgrades to underground utilities, the roadway, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, in addition to installation of light rail track, signals, and communications and safety equipment.
“Completing the at-grade crossings is an important milestone for the project, keeping us on time and on budget,” stated Construction Authority CEO Habib F. Balian. “We are now less than a year from turning the project over to Metro, and having the crossings complete means that most of the risk on the project is behind us.”
Construction took place at the following at-grade crossings:
•First Avenue and Santa Clara Street, Arcadia
•Mayflower Avenue, Monrovia
•Magnolia Avenue, Monrovia
•Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia
•California Avenue, Monrovia
•Mountain Avenue, Monrovia & Duarte
•Buena Vista Avenue, Duarte
•Highland Avenue, Duarte
•Virginia Avenue, Azusa
•San Gabriel Avenue, Azusa
•Azusa Avenue, Azusa
•Alameda Avenue, Azusa
•Dalton Avenue, Azusa
•Pasadena Avenue, Azusa
The Construction Authority implemented targeted public outreach campaigns for each crossing that included door-to-door walks, text message noticing, e-alerts, interactive construction map updates, online and print advertisements in regional news publications; public banners and signs; and presentations to schools and community groups. To assist residents and businesses, the Construction Authority also sponsored shuttle service when pedestrian access was unavailable, advertisements for local businesses, among other measures.
“We appreciate the community’s patience, as well as the cooperation of the corridor cities and their staffs, as we built these crossings out,” added Balian. “This work was certainly very impactful on the community, and everyone was very understanding.”
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About the Foothill Gold Line – The Foothill Gold Line is a nearly $2 billion, 12-station extension of the Metro Gold Line light rail system, being overseen by the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, an independent transportation planning and construction agency created in 1998 by the California State Legislature. The project is planned in two segments – Pasadena to Azusa and Azusa to Montclair. The Pasadena to Azusa segment is fully funded by Los Angeles County’s Measure R and is on budget and on schedule to be completed in late-September 2015 when it will be turned over to Metro for testing and pre-revenue service. Metro will determine when passenger service begins on the line. The Azusa to Montclair segment is currently undergoing advanced conceptual engineering, and will be shovel-ready in 2017. The Construction Authority is currently seeking $1 billion to construct the Azusa to Montclair segment.
Categories: Projects
It seems that with the completion of the track and the grade crossings, the Gold Line Extention has pulled ahead of the Expo Line Extention. 🙂
I imagine that the number of bridges that Expo Phase II had to build has taken them longer.
Yay, more at stupid grade intersections!
What about the grade separations? – What’s the status on those?
About the Foothill Gold Line – The Foothill Gold Line is a nearly $2 billion, 12-station extension of the Metro Gold Line light rail system, being overseen by the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority
THERE NEEDS TO BE CORRECTION THERE ARE ONLY 6-STSTIONS NOT 12
Arcadia
Monrovia
Duarte/City of Hope
Irwindale
Azusa Downtown
APU/Citrus College
The “12-station extension” consists of the six stations you named and the six being planned for another segment that hasn’t been funded yet: Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont, and Montclair. The construction isn’t going to be continuous – the first segment will be turned over to Metro in 2015 but the second segment won’t break ground till at least 2017 – so it’s misleading, perhaps even dishonest, for the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority to call the two segments one project.
It’s not dishonest. Phase one is funded by Measure R and is being built, phase two is unfunded but is in Metro’s long-range plan. I think the Construction Authority has clearly stated that.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
The Foothill Gold Line extension includes 12 stations. This is the first phase which consists of 6 stations. The second phase consists of an additional 6 stations (Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont, Montclair).
Does the $2 billion price tag cover all 12 stations to Monclair, or just the first six stations to Azusa? If its the former (12 stations) then the CA statement is fine. If its the latter (6 stations), then the statement is misleading and should be changed.
Yes, the $2 billion estimate includes the two phases that would take the line to Montclair. I don’t know why a couple of people believe the following is inaccurate — it clearly says that there are two phases and that the Pas-to-Azusa segment is funded and the other segment is not.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Please stop sending me message