Gold Line Foothill Extension Photo Tour: Iconic Gold Line Freeway Bridge

9:15 AM PDT on July 1, 2014

GLB_019_-_Completed_Bridge_12-10-12 — The recently completed Gold Line Bridge over the 210 Freeway. Photo: Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority

In this third installment of our Foothill Gold Line photo tour series, we explore the Gold Line Foothill Extension's iconic bridge over the 210 Freeway, as well as a closer look at the line's other bridges.

Recently, Streetsblog’s Damien Newton and Aviv Kleinman joined a behind-the-scenes tour of the Gold Line Phase II under construction in the San Gabriel Valley. We joined Albert Ho, head of Media Relations for the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, and Jeff Rowland, the Community Relations Manager for the Kiewit-Parsons Joint Venture, the contractors building the project. Part 1 of the series documented the rail corridor and stations. Part 2 highlighted the Maintenance and Operations yard under construction in Monrovia.

For those just joining us, the Gold Line is a 19.7 mile light rail line running from East Los Angeles to Pasadena via Union Station in Downtown L.A. The line currently serves 21 stations, and is operated by Metro. The Gold Line Foothill Extension will extend from its current Sierra Madre Villa terminus east into the city of Azusa. The new 11.3-mile extension includes 6 new stations, serving five cities directly. It is proposed to transform the San Gabriel Valley entirely. Once bounded by distress of being caught in freeway gridlock, San Gabriel Valley residents will now have the freedom to commute by rail into Downtown L.A., and endless locations from there, by using the new Gold Line extension.

The bridge spans 584-linear-feet diagonally across the Eastbound 210 Freeway. Notice the bumper-to-bumper traffic heading westbound on the freeway. I predict that one of the most effective marketing tools for increasing Gold Line ridership will be the simple frustration drivers feel when they are stuck on the freeway while watching the sleek new trains travelling at 55 mph towards Downtown LA. All photos, except where noted: Aviv Kleinman/Streetsblog L.A.

The Gold Line bridge, completed in 2012, was built to replace the previous flyover bridge used by the Santa Fe railroad to cross over the eastbound lanes of the 210 freeway. The Gold Line tracks run 4.1 miles along the median of the 210 before crossing the bridge into the city of Arcadia, heading southeast towards the downtown Arcadia station.

According to the Construction authority, the bridge was completed "on-time and on-budget" in December of 2012. The total cost was $18.6 million.

The bridge utilizes a ballastless track configuration, with the rails fastened directly to molded concrete slabs. This system is used because it lowers weight stresses on the bridge and it incurs lower maintenance costs. It also prevents vehicles from driving across the bridge. Pictured here, the tracks switch from a conventional concrete rail-tie configuration in the foreground, to the ballastless system as they enter the bridge.

A photo taken at track level, highlighting the balllastless track system. The tracks are elevated about 1.5 feet above the bridge surface. When the trains start running, hopefully nobody will be seeing the tracks from this perspective.

The bridge was designed by the artist Andrew Leicester. Leicester envisioned the bridge as "a memorable expression of the community, past and present." The bridge's design includes homages to the local culture, native wildlife, and, most notably, the Native American roots in the area. The two 25-foot tall, 17-foot diameter sculptural woven baskets flank the bridge and support it structurally as well as artistically. According to the Construction Authority, the bridge was "built for the same cost as was originally estimated for a typical structure of its make-up." The bridge won five construction industry awards and is billed as "the largest single public art/transportation infrastructure piece in California."