Gold Line measure proposed. Supporters of the Metro Gold Line Extension through San Gabriel Valley are campaigning in Sacramento this week for legislation that would help create a new Gold Line authority. The new authority would provide for a 15-member board of representatives from the so-called Phase II cities, including Arcadia and Monrovia.
A draft report on the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension proposes stops in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa, Glendora, San Dimas, LaVerne, Pomona and Claremont. City hearing will be held at Arcadia City Hall on June 14.
The proposed site for Arcadia's Gold Line station is just east of Santa Anita Avenue, at the First Avenue/Santa Clara intersection. City leaders want to separate the railroad tracks from the street.
Ridership on the Gold Line has fallen below expectations. The MTA is now considering a new express service to encourage residents in East Pasadena and Arcadia to take the light rail train.
The Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority has predicted that people will get on the Pasadena-to-Azusa Gold Line extension 9,500 times a day in the year 2030.
Rose Queen Courtney Lee, of Arcadia, and the Royal Court rode the Metro Gold Line to promote the Metro's "Go Metro" to the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl campaign.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board approved $10 million for the 24-mile Gold Line Foothill Extension that is going through Arcadia to Claremont. The money comes from Measure R.
Artist Andrew Leicester, 61, has been chosen to design a bridge meant to be an iconic gateway to the San Gabriel Valley along the Gold Line Foothill Extension. The bridge will cost an estimated $20-25 million to build. Leicester, who is based in Minneapolis, plans to incorporate artistic traditions from the Native American tribes of the San Gabriel Valley (Chumash and Gabrielenos a.k.a. Tongva), and references to the region's native animal and plant life, into a contemporary structure.
Metropolitan Transportation Agency (MTA) is not considering the Gold Line Foothill Extension from Sierra Madre to Claremont a priority now. County transportation officials recommended the so-called "Subway to the Sea," a proposed extension of the Purple Line out to Santa Monica and a "regional connector" project that would link several rail lines through downtown Los Angeles, as the priorities.
After receiving intense pressure from San Gabriel Valley lawmakers, the county's transportation board, the MTA, finally put the Gold Line extension in its long-term plans. This opens up the possibility of federal funding for the project. With this commitment, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has agreed to provide day-to-day operational funding for the first phase of the Gold Line Foothill extension once it is completed.
Measure R, by which voters approved a half-cent sales tax last November, was to fund dozens of new transportation projects across Los Angeles County. However, rather than launch new projects, several San Gabriel Valley cities plan to use the windfall to keep municipal bus routes and Dial-a-Ride shuttles in operation. Arcadia may store up some of the funding it is due to receive, 290,000 this year and $496,000 next year, for a larger project down the line, said Transportation Services Manager Linda Hui. Possible projects include funding part of a grade separation at a future Gold Line station in Arcadia, or funding other Gold Line station enhancements, such as shuttle services. Street improvements are also a possibility for Arcadia.
Gold Line Foothill Extension Authority officials unveiled a San Gabriel Valley-themed design for a rail bridge honoring local wildlife and native cultures. The span of the 739-foot bridge will stretch diagonally across the 210 Freeway to Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia. It will be adorned by four basket-shaped columns and the bridge itself will have individual grooves resembling the scales of a snake. Andrew Leicester is the artist and designer.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has voted to fully fund the $690 million Gold Line Foothill Extension, from Pasadena to Azusa, and to complete it by 2014, with money from Measure R. Measure R was approved by voters in the November 2008 election. It created a half-cent county sales tax intended for transportation projects. The MTA has the funding for the first phase of the Gold Line light rail to Azusa. The first phase is an 11-mile extension that includes stops in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale and Azusa.
Local transit authorities are preparing to move forward with the Gold Line Foothill Extension to the Azusa-Glendora border and local cities are planning to place residential and commercial developments along the line. Those developments are intended to prepare for future population growth. The first phase of the extension is slated to be completed by 2014, adding new stops in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale and Azusa. Some plans near those stops could be scaled back due to the down economy. Arcadia officials are looking to build commercial developments centered on a planned station just east of Santa Anita Avenue. Arcadia's challenge will be land acquisition. Because Arcadia has ordinances limiting the use of eminent domain, Arcadia officials have to rely on negotiating land deals, a difficult process with limited redevelopment funds.
The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension had a ground breaking ceremony at Newcastle Park in Arcadia, for a project that would extend the line from East Pasadena to Azusa, with stops in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte and Irwindale. This phase is fully funded through Measure R, the Los Angeles County half-cent sales tax increase that voters approved to fund transportation projects. Eventually the Gold Line will reach the Inland Empire.
The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority opened bidding yesterday on Phase 2A of the light rail's extension toward Azusa, which would make a stop in Arcadia. The project is estimated to cost more than $450 million with a completion date in 2017. Measure R guarantees full funding for the Gold Line Extension minus a gap of $500,000. With possible help from a private investment, the completion could be moved up to 2013.
The 11.5 mile light rail Gold Line extension from Pasadena to Azusa was awarded to Foothill Transit Constructors. Kiewit-Parsons, a joint venture company, will design and build the project. Funding comes from Measure R.
Work continues on Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension project. Workers installed a 130-foot-high steel cage that will make up a portion of a rapid transit bridge spanning the eastbound 210 Freeway between Baldwin Avenue and Santa Anita Avenue. When complete, the 584-foot-long, $18.6 million Metro Gold Line bridge will be buttressed by columns designed to resemble Native American baskets. The bridge work is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012, while the entire 11.5-mile extension is due to be finished 2015. The bridge contractor is Skanska USA Civil. Construction of the rest of the line may be delayed due to problems with Monrovia's Redevelopment Agency.