Major construction has started on the four-station Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Pomona.
The 9.1 mile project is expected to be completed by 2015 under the supervision of the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (FGLCA).
A FGLCA statement estimates that during construction alone, the Foothill Gold Line from Glendora to Montclair will create as many as 16,000 jobs and as much as $2.6 billion in economic output for the region, as well as up to $1 billion in labor income and potentially $40 million in tax revenue (according to an economic study by Beacon Economics).
The work is being done by the joint venture team of Kiewit-Parsons (KPJV), awarded the design-build contract in August 2019. KPJV constructed the first line’s first two segments from Los Angeles to Pasadena and Pasadena to Azusa – both completed on time and under budget (in 2003 and 2015 respectively).
If additional funding is secured by October 2021, the entire 12.3-mile project from Glendora to Montclair will be completed altogether by 2028, adding additional stations in Claremont and Montclair.
“The Construction Authority and design-build team have been hard at work for the past 10 months preparing for today’s start of major construction,” FGLCA board chairman and Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval said in a statement. “There is a lot of work ahead to complete this project that is critically important to the region and to the corridor communities, and we thank our partners at the cities, LA Metro and others for the hundreds of hours they have put in to help us reach this milestone moment for the project.”
The new line is being built within an existing rail corridor shared with the BNSF freight service. Over the next five years, KPJV crews will relocate within the shared rail corridor more than nine miles of freight track; install two sets of light rail tracks; build four new light rail stations with unique artwork created by city-selected station artists; rebuild 21 at-grade street crossings where trains will cross at street level; build or renovate 19 bridge structures; relocate underground utilities; install new communications systems; and install nine traction power supply substations, along with an overhead catenary system, to power the electric light rail trains.
“Even as we confront the immediate and unprecedented challenge of COVID-19, we remain laser-focused on making smart investments in our infrastructure, our workforce, and our lasting prosperity,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Eric Garcetti.
The first major construction activity began on July 10 with the rebuilding of the at-grade street crossing on Gladstone Street in San Dimas and will require a three-month full closure of the street at the railroad crossing to vehicles and pedestrians.
The project is being funded mostly by Los Angeles County’s Measure M sales tax approved by voters in 2016, with residual funding from Measure R and State of California greenhouse gas reduction funds (part of the voter-approved SB1 program).
