Foothill Gold Line E-News

December 2019

Design Work Underway Ahead of Major Construction

Not long after the historic contract signing on October 4, 2019, the Kiewit-Parsons Joint Venture team was already underway with various pre-construction activities to help inform and complete the project’s design, in preparation for the major construction phase that is anticipated to begin in late summer 2020.

As shown in the pictures below, crews have been out in the field collecting soil samples, verifying underground utilities and surveying the rail corridor. These efforts will continue in the weeks ahead.

In addition, Kiewit-Parsons has been holding multi-day design-focused workshops and coordination meetings with the Construction Authority and third party project partners (such as the corridor cities, LA Metro, Metrolink and utility companies). A successful Partnering Workshop (photo below) was held last week to bring together key staff from the aforementioned project partners and to set the stage for collaboration throughout the life of the project’s construction.

Preparing Communities for Major Construction

Beginning early next year, the Construction Authority will carry out a series of outreach initiatives to help residents, businesses and other stakeholders along the Foothill Gold Line corridor prepare for major construction. A few of these efforts include:

• Community meetings (taking place in March 2020): Public information meetings will be held in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona to allow stakeholders to learn the latest on the major construction plans in or near their communities, as well as talk directly with Foothill Gold Line staff and the Kiewit-Parsons team. The dates for the meetings are being finalized now and will be announced soon.
• Construction alerts: Stakeholders will be given a chance in the coming months to sign up for construction alerts via email, that will be separate from the monthly e-news project updates. Stay tuned and sign up when you receive the email.
• New project offices in Glendora and La Verne: In early January, the Kiewit-Parsons team will move into their new project office in Glendora. At this office, the designers and builders will work side by side to complete the project. Many of the Construction Authority’s team will also be working inside the project office. As the project gets closer to major construction, an additional office will be opened part-time in La Verne. Community members will be able to visit these offices, in addition to the existing Construction Authority headquarters in Monrovia, to speak directly with staff and get information.

If you know anyone who may be interested in learning more about these efforts, or anyone that will be impacted by the upcoming construction, please encourage them to visit www.foothillgoldline.org and sign up for e-news updates.

Foothill Gold Line Board Re-Elects Chair and Vice Chair

At their December meeting, the Construction Authority Board of Directors voted unanimously to re-elect Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval as Chair, and La Verne Council Member Robin Carder as Vice Chair, to lead the agency’s nine-member board. The continuing leadership of Chair Sandoval and Vice Chair Carder comes at a critical moment for the Foothill Gold Line, as the light rail extension heads into major construction.

The re-election of Chair Sandoval and Vice Chair Carder caps off their first year of leading the light rail agency, which culminated with the historic signing of the Alignment Design-Build Contract on October 4, 2019, between the Construction Authority and the Joint Venture team of Kiewit-Parsons. The 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 project to Montclair for a total contract amount of $1,186.9 million if additional funds are secured by October 2021. The Glendora to Pomona segment is anticipated to be completed in 2025, and the entire project altogether to Montclair by 2028 if the contract option is initiated.

Following the unanimous vote, Chair Sandoval made the following statement:

“Thank you to our colleagues on the board for their continued trust in us. We have a tremendous task ahead as we extend the Foothill Gold Line into more cities in the San Gabriel Valley, and we will work hard to ensure that another successful project is delivered on time and on budget. The contract option provides a tremendous opportunity for our region, by offering potential funding partners a firm, fixed bid price – not an estimate – to complete this project [to Montclair] in the next few years. We will continue to press forward and work with our partners and elected officials at all levels to seek the funding needed to complete the line to Claremont and Montclair and bring the train to all of the cities that have been planning for its arrival for decades.”

The Foothill Gold Line board is made up of elected and appointed representatives from throughout the project corridor. In addition to the Chair and Vice Chair, the board currently includes: Duarte Council Member and Metro Board Member John Fasana, Ontario Mayor Paul Leon, Los Angeles representative Melchor Ilomin, Ontario Council Member Alan Wapner (non-voting), Pasadena Council Member Gene Masuda (non-voting), and South Pasadena representative Dan Evans (non-voting). The Governor’s appointee is currently vacant.

Free Rides on Gold Line and All Metro Bus and Rail Lines on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve

NOTE: The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority does not operate Gold Line passenger service. For questions about Gold Line service (including train schedules, fares, parking, discounts, etc.), please contact Metro customer service at 323-GO-METRO (323-466-3876) or customerrelations@metro.net.

Metro recently announced that their entire bus and rail network (including the Gold Line) will once again be free to ride on the nights of Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

In addition, Metro’s rail lines will run for 24 hours on New Year’s Eve, as well as offer enhanced service to the Pasadena Rose Parade on January 1.

For more information on Metro’s upcoming holiday service schedule, please click here to visit LA Metro’s website.

Thank you for your continued interest in the Foothill Gold Line.

We wish you a very happy and safe holiday season and much success in 2020.

Lisa Levy Buch, Chief Communications and Strategic Development Officer and the Public Affairs Team