Project Enters Final Half of Construction
As you may have read, the 9.1-mile, four-station project segment from Glendora to Pomona officially reached 50% construction completion last month. The Construction Authority held a press conference at Rhoads Park in San Dimas on June 17, just steps away from the new light rail bridge over the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection, to recognize the milestone achievement, and were joined by dozens of elected officials from all levels of government and transportation officials. To watch a highlight recap of the press conference, click here or below.
 Later this month, major construction will have been underway for two full years on the project, and the Construction Authority and KPJV are now focused on the work ahead to complete the project in early 2025. Read on for the latest updates.
Grade Crossings Updates - E St. Crossing Reopens
 Photo: E St. crossing in La Verne reopen
Just hours after the conclusion of the 50% construction completion press conference, crews a few miles away in La Verne had completed all of the necessary reconstruction work at the E St. crossing (north of Arrow Hwy.) to allow the street to reopen to motorists and pedestrians. Crews utilized an 11-day closure to install the second light rail track and rebuild the roadway, curbs and gutters. This followed an initial closure back in Spring 2021, when crews removed and relocated the freight track, installed one light rail track and completed utility work. No further full closures of the E St. crossing are expected.
Ongoing Crossing Work:
Work continues at various grade crossings on the project this month – at the Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. intersection (click here for full and lane closure notice) in Glendora, Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection (click here for notice) in San Dimas, San Dimas Canyon Rd. (click here for notice) in San Dimas/La Verne and Garey Ave. (click here for notice) in Pomona.
 Photo: Future light rail bridge at the Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. intersection in Glendora
At the Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. intersection, the reconfiguration of the traffic lanes on both streets continue to remain in place (see photo above). This is to allow traffic to be maintained in all directions while work continues on the future light rail bridge that is being built over the intersection (including the installation of the falsework; more on the bridge below). The lane reconfiguration will continue through November 2022; however, a long-term full closure of Grand Ave. north of Foothill Blvd. will begin next Friday, July 15 (this was originally planned to begin earlier this week, but has been rescheduled). See below for more details.
 Photo: Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection in San Dimas fully closed
Last month, crews began a full closure of the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection, as part of the last of a four-phase reconfiguration of the intersection. The full closure, which continues through August 13, will allow crews to complete underground utility work; median and roadway construction; installation of the new, permanent freight track, as well as curbs and gutters; and work on the new light rail bridge (more on the bridge below).
 Photo: San Dimas Canyon Rd. crossing in San Dimas/La Verne
At the San Dimas Canyon Rd. crossing, crews continue to make progress during this second and final full closure of the street (a short two-week closure took place in late 2021 to relocate the freight track). Crews have been relocating and protecting underground utilities, and recently began installing the new light rail tracks. Crews will later construct a new right turn pocket from westbound Arrow Hwy. to northbound San Dimas Canyon Rd.; rebuild the roadway, curbs, gutters and sidewalks; and add new medians and other safety infrastructure. The full closure of the street is planned to continue through October, but crews are currently ahead of schedule.
 Photo: Crews installing conduit for the communications and power lines west of Garey Ave. in Pomona (Metrolink tracks to the right)
At Garey Ave. in Pomona, crews are making progress protecting existing underground utilities, as seen in the photo above. As part of this work, crews have implemented single lane closures on Garey Ave. at the railroad crossing, which will continue through the end of the year. A four-day full closure of Garey Ave. is currently scheduled to begin on July 22 (more on that in the next section).
Upcoming Closures and/or Crossing Work:
Upcoming closures are scheduled at Grand Ave. (north of Foothill Blvd.) and Route 66 in Glendora; Walnut Ave. in San Dimas; Wheeler Ave. in La Verne; Fulton Rd. in La Verne/Pomona; and Garey Ave. in Pomona. In addition, there will be the upcoming permanent closure of Monte Vista Ave. at the railroad crossing in San Dimas.
At the Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. intersection, work at the crossing will soon enter a new phase, as crews next Friday, July 15, will close Grand Ave. north of Foothill Blvd., while maintaining the reconfigured traffic lanes east, west and south of the intersection. This will allow crews to complete the bridge work a few months earlier than originally planned. The closure of Grand Ave. was originally planned to begin earlier this week, but it has since been rescheduled as crews await new traffic signal equipment, and will continue through October 31, while the lane reconfigurations will continue through November 2022. For more information, click here.
Also beginning next Friday, July 15, the Fulton Rd. crossing in La Verne/Pomona will be fully closed for four days to allow crews to replace the existing Metrolink track and then repave the work zone. For more information, click here. NOTE: Crews will need to close Fulton Rd. for a final time later this year to complete the crossing reconstruction and bridge construction (a separate notice will be distributed). A few days after Fulton Rd. reopens, beginning on Friday, July 22, the Garey Ave. crossing in Pomona will be fully closed for four days to also allow crews to replace the existing Metrolink track and then repave the work zone (a notice will be available soon). Both of these closures take advantage of service outages planned by Metrolink for their system.
On the night of July 18, Route 66 between Hunters Trail and Compromise Line Rd. in Glendora will be fully closed to all traffic (vehicular and pedestrian) for nighttime work that will continue until 5:00 AM the following morning (July 19). This one-night-only full closure is needed to complete the second concrete pour for the super-structure of the Route 66 light rail bridge (click here for notice).
And in August, it is anticipated that two closures will take place in San Dimas: a short closure of the Walnut Ave. crossing to complete roadwork and other activities (planned to start August 2) and the permanent closure of the Monte Vista Ave. crossing (following the reopening of the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection). Additionally in August, crews are planning for the short, second closure of Wheeler Ave. in La Verne, and a full closure of Garey Ave. in Pomona for full reconstruction activities. More information will be out soon on all of these August closures, so stay tuned.
To sign up for Construction Alerts, go to www.foothillgoldline.org.
Construction of New Light Rail Bridges Over Major Streets
Below are updates on the four new light rail bridges being built over major city streets (from west to east):
Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. Light Rail Bridge
 Photo: Falsework installation for the future light rail bridge over Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. in Glendora
As mentioned above, crews will soon close Grand Ave. north of Foothill Blvd. in Glendora, while maintaining the reconfigured traffic lanes east, west and south of the intersection. Once this new phase of traffic reconfiguration is fully in place (the full closure will continue through October 31, while the lane closures will continue through November 2022), crews will continue work on the future light rail bridge over the intersection and complete the bridge work a few months earlier than originally planned. Currently, crews are installing the falsework, which is the temporary support for the super-structure as it is built across the intersection (see photo above).
 Photo: Crews constructing east approach for future light rail bridge over Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. in Glendora
To the southeast, crews continue to construct the retaining walls for the east approach to the bridge. As seen in the photo above, the retaining walls for the approach now have been built all the way to the east abutment. When completed, the east approach will measure nearly 1,300 feet in length.
To understand what the future light rail bridge over Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. will look like, click here to see 3D simulations.
Route 66 Light Rail Bridge
 Photo: Crews pouring concrete for super-structure of new light rail bridge over Route 66 in Glendora
Crews continue to make significant progress constructing the super-structure for the new light rail bridge over Route 66 in Glendora. Last month, crews completed a major concrete pour for the internal portion of the super-structure during a one-night closure of Route 66. With that work completed, crews are now installing rebar and forms for the deck, and will later pour concrete. That concrete pour will require a one-night full closure of Route 66 between Hunters Trail and Compromise Line Rd. on the night of July 18. For more information on the nighttime closure, click here.
 Photo: Crews constructing super-structure for new light rail bridge over Route 66 in Glendora
In addition, the nightly intermittent lane or bi-directional closures of Route 66 will continue through September. For more information, click here.
Lone Hill Ave. Light Rail Bridge
As motorists and pedestrians traveling along Lone Hill Ave. in Glendora have no doubt noticed, substantial progress is being made on the new light rail bridge over the street. Measuring 344 ft. long, it is the largest light rail bridge being built as part of the 9.1-mile project from Glendora to Pomona.
To better help the community and businesses understand this bridge, the Construction Authority has released a new video, entitled: “Building the Lone Hill Ave. Light Rail Bridge.“ The video, which can be viewed using the links below, provides an overview of the design and ongoing construction of the new bridge.
Featured in the video are interviews with staff from the Construction Authority and the project’s design-builder, Kiewit-Parsons, a Joint Venture (KPJV), as well as commentary by Glendora Mayor Karen K. Davis and Foothill Gold Line Board Member and Glendora Council Member Mendell Thompson.
Click here or below to play the video
 Currently, crews continue to construct the approach between the new light rail bridges over San Dimas Wash (west of Lone Hill Ave.) and Lone Hill Ave. As seen in the photo below, the retaining walls for the approach now have been built all the way to the west abutment and consist of custom form panels that feature the project’s citrus design. The track you see to the south of the approach is the relocated freight track.
 Photo: Crews constructing retaining walls for the west approach of the future light rail bridge over Lone Hill Ave. in Glendora
As for the bridge structure itself, crews recently completed the installation of the falsework across Lone Hill Ave. and are now constructing the super-structure. As seen in the photo below, crews are currently placing rebar and form panels for the internal portion of the super-structure, and will later begin placing concrete.
 Photo: Crews constructing super-structure for new light rail bridge over Lone Hill Ave. in Glendora
Construction will continue on the Lone Hill Ave. bridge through the end of 2022, with long-term lane closures and a few days of full street closures ahead. To learn more, click here.
Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. Light Rail Bridge
   Photo: Crews removed the falsework (top) and are currently constructing west abutment (bottom) of new light rail bridge over Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. in San Dimas
The new light rail bridge over the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. has seen tremendous progress over the past month. Crews have successfully removed all of the falsework, which was temporarily supporting the super-structure as it was built across the intersection. The super-structure is also now complete. Currently, crews are installing rebar and forms for the west abutment ahead of a future concrete pour (see photo above).
 Photo: Crews constructing retaining walls for west approach of new light rail bridge over Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection in San Dimas
West of the bridge, crews continue to construct the retaining walls of the west approach, which will consist of custom form panels that feature the project’s citrus design (see photo above).
 Photo: Crews constructing the pedestrian undercrossing at Monte Vista Ave. in San Dimas
To the east, work is substantially complete on a pedestrian undercrossing at Monte Vista Ave. that will allow people to walk through the east approach to the bridge in the future. The length of the east approach means that the existing railroad crossing at Monte Vista Ave. will need to be permanently closed to vehicular traffic (expected to close permanently in mid-August, following the reopening of the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection); but pedestrians will be able to utilize the pedestrian undercrossing to continue to be able to travel north and south on Monte Vista Ave. and access Bonita Ave. Monte Vista Ave. will close permanently, following the reopening of the Bonita Ave/Cataract Ave. intersection.
To learn more about the future light rail bridge at Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave., click here.
Station Construction Underway
Work continues to be underway for the future light rail stations in Glendora, San Dimas and La Verne, and is expected to start later this month at the future Pomona station.
All four stations from Glendora to Pomona will be center platform stations, with a track on each side - one for westbound and one for eastbound trains.
Read on for updates on the station work currently underway.
Glendora Station
 Photo: Glendora station construction underway
Within the corridor between Vermont Ave. and Glendora Ave. in Glendora, crews continue to make progress constructing the platform for the future Glendora station. Most of the concrete pours for the platform have been completed, with just a few more scheduled to take place in the future at both ends. At the ends, crews continue to work on the conduit for the future ticket vending machines and the platform ramps.
San Dimas Station
 Photo: Crews installing conduit for future San Dimas station
At the site of the future San Dimas station, between San Dimas Ave. and Walnut Ave., crews are currently installing the underground conduit that will house the communications and power lines for the station and light rail system. Once this work is done, crews will move on to constructing the station platform itself.
La Verne Station
 Photo: Crews constructing deck of platform for future La Verne station
Within the corridor between E St. and White Ave. in La Verne, crews continue to make progress on the future La Verne station platform. As seen in the photo above, crews are now constructing the deck of the station platform.
To learn more about the plans for the future stations, see these fact sheets: Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona.
Construction of Light Rail Track and Power Systems
 Photo: Two newly installed light rail tracks in the corridor in La Verne (relocated freight track on left)
With nearly all of the freight track relocation completed (more on that below), crews have been busy and focused on constructing the new light rail track and power systems. At various stretches along the corridor (just north of Arrow Hwy.) in La Verne, crews have placed layers of subgrade, sub-ballast and ballast (crushed rocks) before installing the light rail tracks on top (see photo above).
 Photo: Crews constructing crossovers as part of the light rail track system in La Verne
As seen in the photo above, crews are also constructing crossovers as part of the light rail track system. Crossovers are sets of two track switches that will allow future light rail trains to switch between the two light rail tracks. Each switch is fabricated in and ships from Wyoming. There will be four crossovers throughout the corridor from Glendora to Pomona.
 Photo: Crews constructing foundations for the overhead catenary system in La Verne
Simultaneously, crews are constructing the power system for the light rail system. Crews continue to construct the foundations for poles that will carry the overhead power lines and provide electrical power to the light rail trains. Hundreds of these foundations are being constructed from Glendora to Pomona - each about 200 feet apart. In the future, during the final steps of construction for the light rail system, crews will install poles on top of these foundations that will carry the catenary wires, as well as the rest of the overhead catenary system (OCS).
 Photo: Crews installing Traction Power Substation in Glendora
The power will come from the Traction Power Substations (TPSS) that are being installed about a mile apart throughout the corridor. The TPSS converts AC power from the local utility into DC power that then travels through the overhead wires to power the light rail system. Crews recently installed the second TPSS on the project (as shown above). In total, eight TPSS units will be installed from Glendora to Pomona.
Freight Track Relocation Nears Completion
 Photo: Crews removing the old freight track (right) alongside the newly relocated freight track (left) in Pomona
With the exception of a few spots throughout the 9.1-mile corridor from Glendora to Pomona, virtually all of the freight track has been relocated to its new, permanent location to make room for the new light rail tracks. In Pomona, between the Fulton Rd. and Garey Ave. crossings, crews recently completed the relocation of the freight track and are removing the old track that’s no longer being used (see photo above), which will make room for the new light rail tracks and future Pomona station.
Thank you for your continued interest in the Foothill Gold Line. We appreciate your patience as we build this important regional project.
Lisa Levy Buch, Chief Communications and Strategic Development Officer and the Public Affairs Team
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