 Photo: Garey Ave. crossing in Pomona reopen
The Construction Authority is pleased to announce that, with the reopening of the Garey Ave. crossing in Pomona earlier this week, all grade crossing reconstruction work requiring long-term street closures for the project’s 21 at-grade (street level) crossings from Glendora to Pomona has now been completed. This grade crossing milestone is a major achievement for the 9.1-mile, four-station Foothill Gold Line light rail project, which is now 68% complete overall with construction.
Since major construction began in July 2020, each of the project’s grade crossings has undergone one or more long-term closure to allow crews time to relocate and protect underground utilities, install new safety equipment, relocate the freight track that initially sat in the middle of the now-shared rail corridor, install new light rail tracks, and build new medians, sidewalks, curbs/gutters and roadway. At the grade crossings with new light rail bridges, each underwent similar reconstruction activities underground and above, but only included installation of the relocated freight track at-grade (the light rail tracks will be built on top of the newly-finished bridge structures that are grade-separated at these locations for safety, as required by the California Public Utilities Commission).
With the long-term grade crossing reconstruction work completed, the most impactful activities for the community, and the most risky activities for an on-time project delivery, are behind us. The project remains on budget and on schedule for substantial completion in early-January 2025.
As of today, the project has reached the 100% completion milestone for the project’s design, freight track relocation, bridgework and long-term grade crossing reconstruction. The Construction Authority and KPJV anticipate completing the majority of all major construction activities needed for the project this year, with testing of the system to start by the end of the year.
SAVE THE DATE: On June 24, 2023, the Construction Authority will be hosting a Track Completion Ceremony to recognize completion of the light rail track installation. The community event will be hosted in the city of La Verne. (More details to be released soon; for now save the date).
Ongoing Closures, Restrictions at Crossings in Glendora and San Dimas
While the most impactful reconstruction activities are now completed at all of the project’s 21 at-grade crossings, crews will return to each crossing throughout this year to complete remaining work.
This month, crews continue to work at the Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. intersection crossing and at the crossing on Route 66 between Compromise Line Rd. and Hunters Trail in Glendora; and at the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection crossing in San Dimas. More details below.
 Photo: Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. intersection in Glendora
While vehicle and pedestrian movements are mostly open at the Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. intersection (as seen in the photo above), crews continue to work at the intersection to complete the sidewalks, medians and landscaping. These activities require intermittent lane closures through June 2023. For more information, click here for the notice.
 Photo: Crews utilizing lane closure at Route 66 in Glendora to complete work on the underground conduit for the street lighting
Along Route 66 between Compromise Line Rd. and Hunters Trail, crews continue to implement intermittent lane closures through December 2023 to complete work on the underground conduit (see photo above), roadway, medians and curbs and gutters. For more information, click here for the notice.
 Photo: Crews working on traffic signals at Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection in San Dimas
A full reopening of the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection in San Dimas is nearing. This week and early next, crews will final pave and stripe Bonita Ave. and Cataract Ave. under directional closures. (For more information on the directional closures, click here). At the same time, crews are completing installation and programming of the recently delivered traffic signals (see photo above).
Due to weather and issues related to delivery and installation of the traffic signals, the street will continue to stay in the temporary lane configuration with restricted movements into April. More information will be available soon with the final work schedule to complete the signals and reopen all movements at the intersection. The Construction Authority appreciates the patience and understanding of residents and businesses around these crossings as we work to complete this important work. To see the latest notice, click here.
Connecting Bridges to Light Rail System
With all 19 bridges from Glendora to Pomona completed, the KPJV structures team continues to focus on constructing the elements that will allow trains to travel to and over them. At the four major new light rail bridges that will carry trains over major streets and intersections in Glendora and San Dimas, crews continue to work on the approaches to the west and east of each bridge, and have already installed the light rail tracks on top of two of the bridges at Route 66 (Glendora) and Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. (San Dimas). Below are updates on the four major light rail bridges (from west to east):
Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. Light Rail Bridge
 Photo: Completed light rail bridge over Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. in Glendora
Crews continue to construct the approaches to the west and east of the newly-completed light rail bridge over Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. in Glendora. As seen in the photos below, atop the west approach, crews are installing conduit that will house the communication and power lines for the light rail system; while at the east approach, crews have successfully installed sound walls on top (crews will install sound walls on top of the west approach at a later date).
   Photos: Crews installing conduit for the west approach (top) and sound walls atop the east approach (bottom) for the light rail bridge over Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave.
Route 66 Light Rail Bridge
 Photo: Completed light rail bridge over Route 66 in Glendora
At the new light rail bridge over Route 66 in Glendora, crews have already installed the light rail tracks on top of the bridge and completed the retaining and sound walls for both approaches.
As seen in the photos below, crews are currently laying the sub-ballast and ballast rocks on the west approach ahead of installing the concrete ties and rail for the light rail tracks; while at the east approach, crews are constructing the drainage system before moving on to installing the light rail tracks.
  Photos: Crews installing ballast for the light rail tracks at the west approach (top) and constructing drainage system at the east approach (bottom) for the light rail bridge over Route 66
In addition, crews continue refreshing the existing freight bridge that sits adjacent to the new light rail bridge. As seen in the photo below, specialized environmental crews continue to remove the old paint from the freight bridge, and plan to repaint the bridge – including keeping the iconic Glendora city name and Pride of the Foothills motto – in the weeks ahead.
 Photo: Specialty crews removing old paint from existing freight bridge over Route 66 in Glendora
Lone Hill Ave. Light Rail Bridge
 Photo: Completed light rail bridge over Lone Hill Ave. in Glendora
Measuring nearly 350 feet in length, the Lone Hill Ave. bridge is the largest of the 19 bridges being built from Glendora to Pomona, and was the last one to be completed. As seen in the photo above, the recently completed flyover bridge (which will allow freight trains to change positions within the shared corridor while crossing underneath) is now fully visible, revealing custom design patterns on the bridge abutments, columns and super-structure.
  Photos: Crews constructing west (top) and east (bottom) approaches for Lone Hill Ave. light rail bridge in Glendora
With the bridge completed, crews have been focused on constructing the approaches to the west and east (as seen in the photos above).
Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. Light Rail Bridge
  Photos: Crews completing nighttime concrete pours for the light rail tracks on the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. light rail bridge in San Dimas
As seen in the photos above, crews recently completed back-to-back, nighttime concrete pours for the light rail track installation on the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. light rail bridge in San Dimas. The light rail tracks here (as well as at the other major bridges) are constructed in a different manner than the tracks within the mid-blocks. While the light rail tracks within the main rail corridor are installed on top of layers of sub-ballast, ballast and concrete ties, the tracks over the bridges are fixed directly onto the bridge deck without those layers - a method called “direct fixation" - which reduces the weight on the bridge and improves long-term maintenance. With this work nearing completion, the specialized track crews will soon move on to carrying out this same track installation method for the Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. bridge.
  Photos: Crews nearing completion on west approach (top) and continuing to construct east approach (bottom) for Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. light rail bridge in San Dimas
In addition, crews continue to be focused on constructing the approaches to the west and east of the light rail bridge. As seen in the photos above, the west approach is nearing completion and will stretch from just east of Eucla Ave. to the bridge. Over at the east approach, crews continue to construct the retaining walls on both sides of the pedestrian undercrossing at Monte Vista Ave., which has been open since last year to allow pedestrians access north and south through the crossing. The east approach will go from the bridge to just west of San Dimas Ave., bringing the future light rail trains to street level before reaching the future San Dimas station on the eastside of San Dimas Ave.
Station Construction Underway
Crews are nearly halfway complete with building the four new light rail stations. All four stations will be center platform stations, with a track on each side - one for westbound trains and one for eastbound trains.
Glendora Station
 Photo: Crews installing light rail tracks at the future Glendora station
As seen in the photo above, crews recently installed the new light rail tracks at the future Glendora station. With the tracks installed and platform deck mostly completed, crews will soon install the station canopies.
San Dimas Station
 Photo: Crews installing light rail tracks at the future San Dimas station
Crews also recently installed the new light rail tracks at the future San Dimas station, alongside the newly-installed sound walls, as seen in the photo above.
La Verne Station
 Photo: Future La Verne station
At the future La Verne station, crews have completed most of the platform deck, installed the light rail tracks and installed the overhead catenary system (OCS) poles that will later carry the overhead wires that provide power for the light rail trains.
Pomona Station
  Photos: Crews constructing the platform deck (top) and entrance ramp (bottom) for the future Pomona station
In the past month, crews have completed the walls for the future Pomona station platform, and are now underway with construction of the platform deck and entrance ramps, as seen in the photos above.
To learn more about the plans for the future stations, see these fact sheets: Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona.
Light Rail Track, Power and Train Control Systems Underway
Crews continue to make progress constructing the various elements that come together to fully make up the light rail system: the light rail tracks (66% complete), the power system (49% complete) and the train control system (53% complete). Each requires separate specialized crews and extensive coordination.
 Photo: Crews constructing crossovers for the light rail track system in Glendora
As seen in the photo above, crews are 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 installing overhead catenary system poles in La Verne
In the areas where the light rail tracks are mostly completed, crews continue to install the overhead catenary system (OCS) poles onto foundations built about every 200 feet along the corridor, as seen in the photo above. Each pole weighs about 1,200 pounds. Later in the project, the overhead wires will be installed onto these poles to provide power to the light rail system.
 Photo: Crews installing underground conduit for light rail system in Pomona
Throughout the corridor, crews continue to install miles of underground conduit and cables that carry communications and power for the light rail system. Shown in the photo above is underground conduit work just west of the Garey Ave. crossing in Pomona. This is the location of the eighth and final traction power substation (TPSS) for the Glendora to Pomona project. The final TPSS is expected to be delivered next month.
Installation of Sound Walls
 Photo: Crews installing sound wall panels
About 28,000 feet of sound walls are being installed for the project to reduce noise from the future light rail trains for adjacent homes and noise sensitive neighbors. The sound wall panels are being fabricated locally, before being delivered for installation. Special forms were made for the project to create the custom wall patterns designed by the project’s Alignment artist, Christie Beniston.
At their March meeting last week, the Metro board formally reaffirmed their commitment to completing the Foothill Gold Line to Claremont and Montclair as their first priority for any current or future state funding opportunities, including state greenhouse gas reduction grant funding and state funds that will be made available in the next two budget cycles.
As part of their action, the Metro board directed staff to advocate in Sacramento for full funding of last year’s Senate Bill 198 (SB198) that supported a total of $4 billion in additional surplus funding going to transit capital projects in the upcoming two budget cycles. However, earlier this year, when Governor Newsom proposed his budget for next year, it only included half of the amount proposed by the legislature. Seeking full funding would result in LA County receiving $1 billion over the next two budget cycles to be used for transit capital projects like the Foothill Gold Line.
Importantly, the project currently has $120 million in funding secured and is seeking $758 million to complete the project. The short segment in San Bernardino County is now fully funded, so Metro’s efforts to secure the remaining funding needed for LA County is critical at this point. We thank the Metro board for their continuing commitment to completing this important regional project.
For more on the Metro board action, click here for coverage in the Southern California News Group papers (may require subscription).
To see more of these and other activities that took place this past month, click here or below to watch the latest project highlight video.
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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