The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority has begun work on the $1.5bn Foothill Gold Line light-rail extension from Glendora to Montclair at Citrus College in Glendora, Los Angeles.
Construction of the 12.3 mile extension commenced through a groundbreaking ceremony.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said: “When LA County voters passed Measure M last year, they gave us an unprecedented mandate to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and build one of the most robust public transit systems in the world.
“Now, it’s our turn to deliver, and that work starts today, with this promising new phase of the Metro Gold Line.”
In the first three years, the firm will conduct pre-construction activities, hire a design-build contractor, relocate strategic utilities, and finalise the project design.
Major construction is scheduled to begin in 2020 and completed in 2026. It will be carried out in two phases.
Phase I involves relocating and rebuilding of the freight / Metrolink systems, while Phase II will see construction of the Gold Line light-rail system.
After completion, the extension will connect Metro Gold Line light-rail line from its eastern terminus in Azusa through the San Gabriel Valley and into San Bernardino County. The extension will have stations at Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont, and Montclair.
It is expected that construction of the Gold line extension will create 17,000 jobs and generate $2.6bn in economic output.
Created in 1988, the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority is an independent transportation planning and construction agency responsible for designing and building the Metro Gold Line light-rail system from Union Station to Montclair.
