Foothill Extension Construction Authority approves routes for Gold Line from Azusa to Montclair; project still needs funding – The Source

The following blog post originally appeared on The Source on March 7, 2013.


Foothill Extension Construction Authority approves routes for Gold Line from Azusa to Montclair; project still needs funding

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.

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