At a Sierra Madre City Council meeting, Arcadia and Sierra Madre residents spoke against a joint plan by the two cities to widen Orange Grove Avenue to 40 feet.
After more than 12 year of negotiations between Arcadia, Sierra Madre and LA County officials, Orange Grove Avenue will get new pavement, storm drains and sidewalks between Michillinda and Santa Anita Avenues.
The City Council approved a final agreement that may end the long dispute between Arcadia and Sierra Madre concerning the nearly $2 million cost of repairing and repaving Orange Grove Ave., a street that borders both cities.
A many as 60 of the trees on Orange Grove Ave., the "county road" running from Michillinda Blvd. to Santa Anita Ave., could be endangered by a proposed road-widening project currently under consideration by Arcadia and Sierra Madre. The street would be widened from 30 to 36 ft. since the street is considered too narrow for the trash bins that residents often leave in the road, constituting a hazard.
On Ainsworth Ranch just east of Santa Anita and Orange Grove Avenue. Pictured on left is a wooden garage on stone foundation. Parked near is family Packard Touring car with top down. Beyond can be seen small bridge on Santa Anita Avenue which spanned the Sierra Madre Wash.
Santa Anita Park Race Track just right of center at south edge of photo. Oval to the left of Santa Anita Park Race Track was training track which was removed to make room for Santa Anita Fashion Park (currently Westfield Santa Anita Shopping Mall). Street just to left of training track is Baldwin Avenue. Huntington Drive and Colorado Place form a "y" just east of Santa Anita Park Race Track. Along both can be noticed the conifer trees planted a few years earlier. Street completely bisecting photo just below center is Foothill Boulevard, next one is Orange Grove Avenue. Santa Anita Avenue is partially in view on right edge of photo. Oval on extreme lower left side of photo is old Baldwin training track. Baseball diamond in lower right corner is at Arcadia County Park. Scale: 1"=660'
Flood damage on N. Santa Anita Avenue. This view was taken at Perkins and Santa Anita. A sign pointing toward Sierra Madre is visible on the left and the San Gabriel Mountains are visible in the background. There is a car on the right.
Aerial view north. Main tree-lined street is Santa Anita Avenue. Most of the orange grove in center of photo was owned by Jaspar Teague family. They had built a circular art gallery on their property at 1380 South Santa Anita Avenue. The large buildings north of Teague's and to the west of Santa Anita Avenue are chicken houses. Duarte Road is the east/west street across photo near top of photo.
View north up Santa Anita Avenue with mountains in background. This photo was taken about where present Orange Grove Avenue intersects with Santa Anita Avenue. Note orange groves all along west side of Santa Anita as far as the mountains. Street is not paved.
Longden Avenue in Arcadia has had a lot of street construction over the last three years, including construction of wheelchair ramps, missing sidewalks, palm trees removed, and new 30 inch water main.
Santa Ana winds estimated at up to 80 mph, toppled 29 utility poles along Live Oak Avenue from Santa Anita to 10th Avenue in Arcadia. Arcadia was the hardest hit of the San Gabriel Valley cities.
Arcadia City Council has put out a design contract for landscaping and streetscape design on Baldwin Avenue between Duarte Road and Naomi Avenue. The contract went to Willdan, not to exceed $64,410. Another project proposes widening of the street to four lanes, 75 feet from curb to curb, with landscaped median, curb parking and additional landscaping, along with street resurfacing, to cost $380,000.
There are now no through streets in Arcadia incorrectly posted with "Not a Through Street" signs, according to Chester Howard, Arcadia's Public Works Director.
Posted speed limits on most of Arcadia's main streets will be raised, making the speeds more realistic according to prevailing road conditions and travel patterns.
Traffic conditions at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Fifth Avenue have caused the city councils of Arcadia and Monrovia to approve a resolution for $30,670 to widen the intersection.
Five-year-old Krysti Chavez of Arcadia sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the opening of the Orange Line in the San Fernando Valley. A photo with caption is included.