 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
|||
 |
|||
 |
 |
|
|
Posts Tagged ‘metro’Construction Update and Picture of the WeekPosted by GoldLine
This week crews installed ten 88-foot long, 100,000 pound steel reinforced concrete girders on top of the Colorado Blvd bridge in Arcadia. Crews are now working to rebuild the street, curbs and gutters under the bridge, in anticipation of the street re-opening to traffic on Monday, May 20.  SGV Tribune Opinion: Metro must keep faith on the Gold LinePosted by GoldLineThe following Opinion originally appeared in the Friday, May 10, 2013 print edition of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Pasadena Star-News.
Metro must keep faith on the Gold Line: Opinion By Doug Tessitor and Sam Pedroza
In November 2008, a supermajority of Los Angeles County voters supported Measure R, Metro’s half-cent sales tax increase for transportation. An estimated $40 billion in tax revenue is being generated over thirty years for transit, highway and other projects to improve mobility. One of the transit projects specified in Measure R is the Gold Line Foothill Extension to Claremont. Measure R is providing enough funding to build the first half of the light rail line from Pasadena to Azusa. In order to complete the full project to Claremont, an additional $950 million is needed. The Foothill Extension is no different in this regard than other Measure R projects – additional funds must be found in order to complete the program and meet the voter mandate. According to Metro documents, billions of dollars must be located from other sources over the coming years to complete the Measure R transit program alone. Metro has been working on numerous strategies to fill that funding gap. They have asked voters to extend the county tax, requested grants and loans from the federal government, and worked to partner with the private sector. To date, these strategies have included plans to complete the Purple Line, the Green Line, and other Measure R transit projects – with one exception: the Foothill Extension. The Foothill Extension is the only project where Metro has decided to shorten the project to fit the funding, rather than commit to finding the funding to complete the project. A double standard position that the LA city-centric agency is comfortable taking. The unfortunate message is clear – Metro is committed to completing all Measure R projects, with the exception of the Foothill Extension to Claremont; and without Metro’s commitment to completing the project, funding the line to Claremont will be all but impossible. The Foothill Extension is a true success story for Measure R and the voters of Los Angeles County. The Pasadena to Azusa segment was the first Measure R rail project to break ground, and it is on budget and on time. It will be completed in 2015, when the Construction Authority building the line will turn it over to Metro. The Azusa to Claremont segment, now environmentally cleared, is being readied for design and engineering in anticipation of a groundbreaking in as early as 2016. It is time for Metro to stop making excuses for not completing the Foothill Extension and do the right thing. The voters approved a program of projects carefully crafted by the California State Legislature, which including the Foothill Extension to Claremont. It was one of only two transit projects with such a clear definition. It is time for Metro to keep faith with the voters and commit to completing all Measure R projects as promised, including the Foothill Extension – all the way to Claremont. Doug Tessitor is a Glendora city councilman who serves as chairman of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority’s Board of Directors and on the Executive Board of Foothill Transit. Sam Pedroza is a Claremont city councilman who serves on the Construction Authority’s Board of Directors and as chairman of the Foothill Extension Joint Powers Authority Board. The Construction Authority is an independent transportation agency responsible for planning, designing and building the Gold Line Foothill Extension. Construction Update and Picture of the WeekPosted by GoldLine
Palm Drive in Azusa re-opened to pedestrian and vehicular traffic this week after being closed four months for construction of supports for three rail bridges. Metro Board approves station names for Foothill Extension from Pasadena to AzusaPosted by GoldLine
At their meeting on Thursday of this week, the Metro board approved the following names for the future Foothill Extension stations: - Arcadia Here is what just some people are saying to “The Source” in response to the name approval: “L A McRae on April 25, 2013 at 1:06 PM said: I’m SO excited about the Gold line extension to Arcadia! The station is within 5 mins walking distance from my home & there are stations within 5 mins walking distance of both of my jobs! My poor 10 year old car will get to rest at least a few days a week!” El Peatón on April 25, 2013 at 3:39 PM said: “No Azusa Downtown/Ridley-Thomas or Duarte/City of Hope/Tom Bradley station? I’m very surprised. Thank you Metro for keeping things simple.” Just a person on April 25, 2013 at 1:39 PM said: “Some nice simple and logic names!!!!!!!” Let us know what you think? Send us a comment. Construction Update and Picture of the WeekPosted by GoldLine
Construction of the 24-acre Gold Line Operations Campus is moving along rapidly. As shown in this aerial photo, underground utilities are being installed throughout the campus and foundation work completed on the on-site buildings. REMINDER: A three-month closure of Azusa Avenue at the railroad crossing in Azusa begins next Monday, April 29, 2013. Click here for details. Construction Update and Picture of the WeekPosted by GoldLine
Last weekend, FTC crews successfully shifted about 2,000 feet of freight track and cut-over from Pasadena Ave. to San Gabriel Ave. in Azusa. The work – which had to be completed in one weekend – included track demolition, shifting and tie-in, surfacing, signal re-installation and track inspection. Trains began running again on Monday, as shown here. Construction Authority Unveils New Interactive Construction Activity MapsPosted by GoldLine
The Construction Authority has upgraded our website to provide more detailed information about on-going construction activities and how they might impact you. As part of the upgrade, we have introduced new interactive construction activity maps that can be viewed corridor-wide or by individual corridor city. Take a look and let us know what you think! Click on the updated www.foothillextension.org landing page (image above), or go to your city page on the website to view the construction activity map in your area. Highland Ave Crossing UpdatePosted by GoldLine
Work on the Highland Ave crossing in Duarte is nearly complete. The road re-opened to traffic earlier this week. More people taking public transportation, L.A.’s Metro system leading the way – LA Daily NewsPosted by GoldLineThis article originally appeared in the LA Daily News website on 3/11/2013.
More people taking public transportation, L.A.’s Metro system leading the way By Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer Record numbers of Americans ditched their own cars and took public transportation in 2012, resulting in the nation’s second highest annual ridership since 1957. The American Public Transportation Association said Monday some of the largest increases occurred in Los Angeles, where the popular Expo Line opened last April. Los Angeles’ light rail system saw an 18.5 percent spike in ridership, according to APTA. Most of that was attributed to the Expo Line, which stretches from downtown LA to Culver City. The heavy rail system, meanwhile, saw a 3.7 percent increase in ridership. Marc Littman, spokesman for the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said more people are taking public transportation because they can. “Rail ridership keeps going up exponentially because it’s easier, more convenient,” he said. And thanks to a half-percent sales tax for transportation projects that voters approved in 2008, Metro is continuing to expand its rail service. “In several years, we’re going to have five rail lines under construction,” Littman said, including the extension of the Expo Line from Culver City to Santa Monica and the Gold Line from Pasadena to Azusa. APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy said Monday that Americans took 10.5 billion trips on public transportation “” the second highest annual ridership since 1957. “Two big reasons for the increased national transit ridership are high, volatile gas prices and, in certain localities, a recovering economy with more people returning to work,” he said. Melaniphy said ridership spiked even though Hurricane Sandy temporarily knocked out public transit systems from Washington D.C. to Boston. He said people’s attitudes toward public transportation are changing, pointing out that 49 out of 62 transit-oriented state and local ballot initiatives passed last year. “There is a sea change going on in the way that people look at transportation,” Melaniphy said. “This is an important time for the public transportation industry as more and more Americans support and want it. ” Littman said a growing number of Angelenos are turning to public transportation to avoid some of the high costs associated with driving one’s own car. Many also use it to avoid traffic. “We opened up the new express lanes on the 10 and 110 freeways, and public transportation can get on those express lanes for free,” Littman pointed out. Littman said public transportation is also more attractive now, compared to before, because of all the retail development and other projects sprouting up along those corridors. Moreover, he added, Metro has worked on increasing connectivity with Metrolink and municipal bus lines; created car pool, van pool and bike programs near its stations; and kept its fares among the lowest in the country. “We work on different fronts and I think that all helps with our ridership program,” Littman said. christina.villacorte@ dailynews.com 213-974-8985 twitter.com/LADNvillacorte Foothill Extension Construction Authority approves routes for Gold Line from Azusa to Montclair; project still needs funding – The SourcePosted by GoldLineThe following blog post originally appeared on The Source on March 7, 2013.
By Steve Hymon The Board of the Construction Authority on Wednesday approved the route, which covers 12.3 miles along an existing rail corridor from Glendora to Montclair with stations in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair. The Gold Line is currently being extended from eastern Pasadena to the Azusa/Glendora border — that part of the project is being paid for by the Measure R sales tax increase approved by L.A. County voters in 2008. This is the second phase of that project, which is in Metro’s long-range plan. As the news release notes, funding will need to be found in order to build this part of the project. It’s an intriguing project. If completed, the Gold Line could eventually run all the way from Montclair to downtown Los Angeles and then to Long Beach via the Regional Connector project (not to mention the other leg of the Gold Line from Union Station to East L.A. and eventually either South El Monte or Whittier). The trip from Montclair to Old Town Pasadena is estimated to take about 40 minutes — it would an alternative to the increasingly congested 210 freeway — and from Montclair to downtown Los Angeles about 64 to 70 minutes depending on the station in downtown. Here’s the final environmental study for the project. And below is the news release from the Foothill Extension Construction Authority, the independent agency that is planning and will build the project: MONROVIA, CA – At their meeting last night, the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority (Construction Authority) board of directors approved the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension light rail project from Azusa to Montclair. The 12.3-mile light rail extension includes future stations in the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair; as well as two new grade-separated crossings (at Lone Hill in Glendora and Towne Avenue in Pomona). Continue reading. |
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
©Copyright 2009-11 I Will Ride.org. All rights reserved. |
|
