Arcadia city is widening and improving three major downtown intersections, a $1 million project that has caused significant congestion in recent weeks. The work is taking place on Huntington Drive at intersections of Santa Anita Avenue, Santa Clara Avenue and Colorado Place. Sixty percent of the funding is by the City and forty percent by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The city is also replacing an older sewer with a new larger one on Baldwin Avenue, northbound between Huntington Drive and Duarte Road, and will repave the road. Cost about $413,000.
Doug Martin Contracting, Inc. will handle Arcadia's annual slurry seal project. The project will take place on city streets between Duarte Road and the south city limit, and between Santa Anita Avenue and the east city limit, started July 29, to be done August 23, 2013.
As part of a continuing investigation into a crash that killed Arcadia teen Alice Zhang and badly injured her friend Priyanka Patel, city officials will return to the site of the fatal accident to re-create the scene tomorrow. City officials will block off the 600 block of West Duarte Road between Baldwin Avenue and Lovell Avenue, from 3:30 pm to 9:30 pm, as Arcadia Police examine the crosswalk.
Metro Gold Line Bridge, which represents woven baskets, over the 210 Foothill Freeway near Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia, gets its fifth award. The latest one was "Best Project in Southern California" for highways and bridges from Engineering News-Record, a national trade journal on construction and design. The award was presented to Habib Balian, CEO of Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority. Sharing in the award was AECOM, the lead architectural firm that implemented the concept from artist Andrew Leicester and Skanska USA, the construction contractor.
Cal Phil's "Be Instrumental" Holiday Haul 2011 runs through December 18. Cal Phil accepts donations of new or gently used musical instruments, toys or music-themed items for homeless and less fortunate children.
California Philharmonic's (Cal Phil) "Be Instrumental" Holiday Haul 2011 will benefit Union Station Homeless. Services have been extended through December 21.
Wind-swept cities slowly recover from a severe windstorm that blew through the San Gabriel Valley early Thursday morning. Arcadia was hit hard and "city crews and contracts are continuing to work hard to clean roadways," said Arcadia police Lieutenant Tom Leveque. Road closures that remained in effect in Arcadia on Friday morning included: westbound Colorado Street at Santa Anita Avenue; westbound Camino Real Avenue at El Monte Avenue; Longden Avenue between El Monte Avenue and Holly Avenue; Colorado Place between Colorado Boulevard and Huntington Drive; the 200 block of W. Leroy Street; the 1100 block of S. Fifth Avenue.
Saving Arcadia, the anti-mansionization group, sues City over controversial two-story home proposed at 1101 S. Fifth Avenue. Lawsuit alleges the project violates California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
The Adams' Pack Station, owned by Deb Burgess, in the Chantry Flat area, 3 miles up a road starting from the top of Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia, fights to remain open as it faces costly upgrades required by the Los Angeles County Health Department. Forest authorities want it to remain a historic landmark, which would limit the amount and types of renovations that can be done.
All 14 at-grade rail crossings now complete for Foothill Gold Line, from Pasadena to Azusa. The at-grade crossing in Arcadia is at First Avenue and Santa Clara Street.
The county Metropolitan Transportation Authority will sell naming rights to all rail lines, bus lines, and transit stations, such as the Gold Line Monrovia Station (in photo) and Foothill Gold Line Arcadia Station (in photo). The Corporate Sponsorship/Naming Rights Program was approved by the Metro board. CEO Phil Washington wants to stretch revenue; board member objects to commercialization.
Food critic Merrill Shindler favorably reviews Izakaya Tonchinkan, a Japanese restaurant at Arcadia Plaza, a mini-mall at 713 W. Duarte Road, just off Baldwin Avenue.
Street closures for the 59th Annual Festival of Bands Parade hosted by City of Arcadia. Baldwin Avenue between Huntington Drive and Naomi Avenue will be closed 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Duarte Road between Golden West and El Monte Avenue closed 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and Campus Drive between Santa Anita Avenue and Holly Avenue closed 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Intersection of First Avenue and Santa Clara Street in Arcadia re-opens to through traffic after crews completed at-grade crossing improvements last Friday. Work began at the crossing in early September 2013. Upgrades were made to the utilities, streets, curbs and more to encourage walking, biking, and bus connections.
Arcadia City Council Recap. Project approved: a large mixed use (residential and commercial) at Duarte Road and First Avenue. Approved: replacing utility poles with an underground system at Morlan Place, adjacent to Rusnak Mercedes Benz dealership.
The City of Arcadia is using $646,000 in federal stimulus funds for repairs, repaving, re-striping and adding bicycle lanes on Santa Anita Avenue, north of Foothill Boulevard. The city has received $534,000 in stimulus money to retrofit City Hall with an energy-efficient heating and cooling system and $80,000 for equipment and training for its police department. Sometime in late spring, officials plan to widen intersections along Santa Anita Avenue, adding turn lanes or through lanes at Foothill Boulevard, Live Oak Avenue and Duarte Road.
First Avenue at Santa Clara Street in Arcadia closed September 9, 2013 through February, 2014 for construction of grade crossing improvements, as part of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension light rail project in Arcadia. Also, to construct the parking structure and transit plaza adjacent to the crossing, Front Street between Santa Clara Street and Saint Joseph Street, will be permanently closing in September.
A fire leads Arcadia Police Department to 2,489 marijuana plants in the 2400 block of Louise Avenue. Suspects stole an estimated $20,000 in power from Southern California Edison for elaborate operation.
Based on the description and surveillance video, Arcadia police believe the same man may have robbed two 7-Eleven stores this month. The most recent robbery took place on May 20 at the 7-Eleven at Live Oak and Tyler Avenues. The previous crime occurred on May 10 at the 7-Eleven at 1003 S. Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia.
Who was Clara Baldwin Stocker? Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin's eldest daughter lived lavishly at her home Twin Oaks in Arcadia. See hard copy in VF Baldwin, Clara.