The following blog post originally appeared on The Source website on July 23, 2013.
Click above to see progress on the San Gabriel River bridge. Photos by Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority.
The Gold Line Foothill Extension project is under construction and making some big-time progress on the two dozen bridges that have to be built or modified to extend the Gold Line for 11.5 miles from eastern Pasadena to the Azusa/Glendora border. Here’s an update from Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority CEO Habib Balian:
Over the last several months, crews have made significant progress on the longest of the two dozen bridges being built or modified as part of the Foothill Extension project – the 700-foot long San Gabriel River Bridge. The new bridge will accommodate the dual-track light rail system, which must cross the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale to connect the future Duarte and Irwindale stations.
Just this week, crews completed installation of twenty-one, 100-foot long concrete girders atop the recently completed piers and abutments. Beginning last Friday, each of the 100,000 pound girders was individually placed, a few each day. The work was completed late yesterday, as shown in the progress photos below:
With this important milestone now complete, the bridge structure is on schedule to be completed during the dry season, as is required by the United States Army Corp of Engineers and Los Angeles County Flood Control District. The next step will be to install the bridge deck. If you missed it, here is a link to a story that ran in the Pasadena Star News about the girder delivery through Monrovia and Duarte.
Additionally, this Friday, July 26th, marks the 10th Anniversary of passenger service for the Gold Line between Union Station and Pasadena. The line began operating on July 26, 2003 and now services more than 1.1 million riders every month. In recognition of this milestone for the region, the line’s importance to the corridor cities over the last decade, and to highlight the need for the future segments, the Construction Authority is hosting a 10th Anniversary event at the Del Mar Station in Pasadena this Friday from 9:30-10:30 AM. Everyone is welcome to join us. If you want to attend, please contact Linda Manning at lmanning@foothillextension.org or (626) 305-7026 to RSVP.