LACMTA Board approves first Measure M-funded rail project

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board has approved the first rail project to be funded through Measure M; a voter-approved half-cent sales tax.

The board’s approval of a $1.4-billion budget and partnership agreements will extend the Metro Gold Line in the San Gabriel Valley another 11.5 miles east to Claremont.

LACMTA will fund the portion of the new segment from Glendora to Claremont within Los Angeles County. The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority plans to utilize other funding to complete the line to Montclair in San Bernardino County as part of the overall project. Under the terms of the funding agreement, LACMTA will use Measure M and other local and state funds to pay for construction. LACMTA plans to apply for a $249-million grant from the state’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program to complete life-of-project budget requirements. Should that funding be unavailable, LACMTA will pursue other options and approaches to meet the full funding needs of the project.

“This second phase of the Foothill Gold Line is truly significant because it’s the very first Measure M transit project out of the gate,” said John Fasana, LACMTA Board chair and Mayor Pro Tem for the city of Duarte. “It will establish the early momentum we need to launch our ambitious new traffic improvement plan that will yield tremendous transportation benefits for the entire Los Angeles County area.”

The board also approved the transfer of an additional $26 million in cost savings from the Construction Authority’s Gold Line segment to Azusa, which opened in March 2016. Combined with previously approved savings, nearly $100 million of residual Measure R funds dedicated for the full Foothill Gold Line project will be used to complete the next segment from Glendora to Claremont.

“This project will create a critical new transit connection for Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire areas when it’s completed,” said Phillip A. Washington, LACMTA CEO. “The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority is a great partner in helping us expand our public transportation infrastructure. We look forward to partnering with them to deliver this project on-time and on-budget.”

LACMTA officials said the extension will provide a safe, reliable transit alternative to driving the busy 210 and 10 freeways and offer a connection with Metrolink’s San Bernardino Line. A planned extension from Claremont to Montclair will add about another mile when funding is secured. A trip from Montclair to Pasadena should take just over 40 minutes, and a trip from Montclair to Los Angeles would be about 75 minutes.

To date, Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority has environmentally cleared the project and completed advanced engineering for the entire alignment. The authority expects to award its first contract for advanced utility relocation later this year. The project’s official groundbreaking is planned for October, with plans to open to the public by 2027.

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