This month, Metro's Board of Directors is expected to give the go-ahead to extend the A Line from Pomona to Montclair. The project is called the Foothill Gold Line Extension Phase 2B2, and will include 3.2 additional miles, with two new stations: Claremont and Montclair.
Metro designs and builds the Gold Line - renamed the A Line - via its partner agency: the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority. Metro and the authority had intended to do the entire phase 2B as a single 12.3-mile project from Glendora to Montclair. But when construction costs grew higher than what had been anticipated, the project was split into two phases.
In 2019, Phase 2B construction got underway for the 9.1-mile extension through the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona. That work is nearly complete, with the four new stations set to open next year. The authority anticipates construction will be substantially complete in early January, at which point Metro will spend roughly six months testing and training, before opening the extension to the riding public.
The remaining 3.2 miles are fairly complex. The line will extend just outside Metro's L.A. County jurisdiction, into the San Bernardino County city of Montclair. Construction will include station and track relocation within an active rail right-of-way, shared with Metrolink and freight rail.
Last year Metro was awarded state grant funds for phase 2B2. That funding recently became available.
At tomorrow's Metro Construction Committee meeting [agenda], directors are expected to approve a funding agreement [staff report] with the construction authority. This includes allocating the $798 million in state grant funds. Final Metro approval is expected at next week's full board meeting.
After Metro approval, the construction authority will finish its procurement process to hire the design-builder for phase 2B2. If all goes smoothly, construction to Claremont and Montclair will be finished circa 2030.
Streetsblog’s San Gabriel Valley coverage is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”
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