Foothill Gold Line Update: End of Year Message
Foothill Gold Line Update: End of Year Message
Friends,
As the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority reaches the end of 2016, there is much to celebrate.
Looking back, we recognize the achievements of this past year. The successful opening of the Foothill Gold Line segment from Pasadena to Azusa in March, which brought ridership on the light rail system to historic highs. Completion of the Glendora to Montclair segment’s Advanced Conceptual Engineering draft documents in September; weeks ahead of the November passage of Los Angeles County’s Measure M which ensured its completion.
Looking ahead to next year, the Construction Authority is preparing the 12.3-mile, six-station Glendora to Montclair segment for construction. The agency is on schedule to break ground on the first of two design-build contracts in late-2017. This next segment will be significantly more complicated to build than the previous two and we are currently working closely with each of the six corridor cities, two counties, the California Public Utilities Commission, Metrolink and others to prepare a plan for the construction ahead.
As we ready the next segment, the need for the line only grows. Tens of thousands of students, faculty, staff and visitors travel to and from the nearly two dozen universities located within a short walk, bike or bus ride to one of the six future stations. More than one million visitors travel to the County Fairplex each year, located at the future La Verne Station. And more than 50,000 new residents and 15,000 new jobs are projected to move into the corridor by 2024.
The Construction Authority is proud to have completed the first two Foothill Gold Line segments on time and on budget; delivering high-quality work that has changed the fabric of the San Gabriel Valley by spurring growth and providing a safe, reliable and environmentally sustainable travel option for the region’s residents, workers and students. We now look forward to finishing what we started; and connecting Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire by light rail in the coming years.
The Journey Continues,
Habib F. Balian
