Foothill Gold Line E-News

August 2019

ANNOUNCEMENT: Construction Authority Awards Design-Build Contract to Kiewit-Parsons to Build Glendora to Montclair Extension

The Foothill Gold Line light rail extension from Glendora to Montclair reached a major milestone today when the Construction Authority Board of Directors awarded the main design-build contract to Kiewit-Parsons, a Joint Venture.

The awarded design-build contract includes an $805.6 million base scope for the first nine miles of the project from Glendora to Pomona, with a two-year contract option to complete the full 12.3-mile project to Montclair for a total contract award of $1,186.9 million if additional funds are secured by September 2021. The base scope includes all elements of design and construction for the first nine-mile segment, including relocation of the existing freight track, installation of the light rail track system, four new light rail stations (in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona), improvements at 40 grade crossings (nearly half with new or renovated bridges) and much more. The contract option would extend the work of the design-build team to complete the full 12.3-mile project to Montclair and add stations in Claremont and Montclair.

The proposal by Kiewit-Parsons was deemed the best value for the agency following a nearly two-year procurement process. Their final proposal resulted in the team being ranked highest in all technical evaluation categories, and provided the lowest bid price based on the formula set out in the RFP for the base scope to Pomona and contract option to Montclair.

Kiewit and Parsons have teamed up dozens of times to complete design-build projects, including successfully building the first two segments of the Foothill Gold Line project which were completed on time and under budget in 2003 and 2015 respectively. They have designed and built hundreds of major infrastructure projects, and both are award-winning companies, providing world-renowned experience

With the award today, the project will begin major construction in 2020 and take approximately five years to complete to Pomona and eight years to complete to Montclair, if the contract option is activated. It is estimated that during construction alone, the Foothill Gold Line project will create more than 16,000 jobs, $2.6 billion of economic output for the region, as well as $1 billion in labor income and $40 million in tax revenue (according to a study by Beacon Economics).

What’s Next?

The Construction Authority and Kiewit-Parsons JV will spend the next several weeks finalizing the legal and financial paperwork to execute the contract, before the Construction Authority will issue a “Notice To Proceed” to formally start work. It will likely take the rest of this calendar year for the team to finalize project design, before major construction can begin early next year.

Foothill Gold Line to Receive $126 Million of Subregional Funds, Making Contract Award Possible

In late May, the Construction Authority received final bids from the remaining two design-build teams competing for the Glendora to Montclair project. The bids included final technical proposals, as well as a final bid price to complete the project to Pomona and a contract option price to complete the project to Montclair.

Through that process, the Construction Authority found out that the final bid prices to build the initial construction phase to Pomona were slightly higher than was estimated earlier this year. As a result, the Metro board at their July meeting approved earmarking $126 million of the San Gabriel Valley’s Measure M Subregional Equity Fund to fill the project’s funding shortfall and asked for concurrence from the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG).

Last Thursday, August 8, the SGVCOG held a special governing board meeting to consider Metro’s request. After about two hours of robust discussion (including a detailed presentation by the SGVCOG executive director and Metro staff, Supervisor Hilda Solis, and Metro board member and Duarte Councilman John Fasana; and comments in support by staff from Congress members Judy Chu and Norma Torres, Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Fairplex CEO Miguel Santana, and the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership), all 27 members of the SGVCOG’s governing board present at the meeting voted to support the Metro request; in the end highlighting the importance of completing the project to the region and to the San Gabriel Valley.

With this final funding hurdle overcome, the Construction Authority board was able to award the design-build contract to Kiewit-Parsons JV at their August meeting today.

For more on the SGVCOG Governing Board’s action, please read the statement from LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis or the San Gabriel Valley Tribune’s coverage.

Supplemental Environmental Review for Phased Construction Approved

In November 2018, the Construction Authority initiated the preparation of a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) to evaluate the environmental impacts of several proposed Project Modifications for the Glendora to Montclair project: 1) potentially phasing construction and operation, 2) implementing a new mitigation measure that would increase northbound roadway capacity on White Avenue (from north of the tracks to 6th Street) near the La Verne Station, 3) changing the approved track alignment in certain areas, and 4) potentially changing the location of the parking facility at the Pomona Station.

The Draft SEIR was published on March 22, 2019, for a 45-day review and comment period, which included a public hearing/meeting on April 16, 2019. The Final SEIR was published by the Construction Authority in June 2019, and was approved and certified by the Construction Authority board of directors in July 2019.

The certified Final SEIR approved the proposed phasing plan, restriping White Avenue to add a second northbound lane between the train tracks and 6th Street, and the proposed track alignment changes. The proposed parking location change for the Pomona Station was not approved, and the previously approved location remains the planned location.