Foothill Gold Line E-News

August 2022

UPDATES: Grade Crossing Updates; Bridge Work Highlights; Station Work and Art; Light Rail Track and Power System Construction; Rail Delivery Train; Sound Walls; Project Update Video

Grade Crossing Updates – Crossings in San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona Reopen

Photo: San Dimas Canyon Rd. crossing in San Dimas/La Verne reopen

In the past few weeks, crews reopened the grade crossings at San Dimas Canyon Rd. in San Dimas/La Verne, Fulton Rd. in La Verne/Pomona and Garey Ave. in Pomona.

At San Dimas Canyon Rd., crews utilized the final full closure of the crossing (north of Arrow Hwy.) to install two new light rail tracks; protect underground utilities; rebuild the roadway, curbs, gutters and sidewalks; build a new right turn pocket from westbound Arrow Hwy. to northbound San Dimas Canyon Rd.; and add new medians and other safety infrastructure. While the crossing reconstruction was originally planned to take five and a half months to complete, crews were able to complete the work necessary to reopen the street in two and a half months.

Photo: Fulton Rd. Metrolink crossing in La Verne/Pomona reopen

At the Fulton Rd. and Garey Ave. crossings, crews utilized two long-weekend closures to replace the existing Metrolink tracks and repave the work zones. Both crossings will require final full closures later this year to complete crossing reconstruction work for the light rail system.

Photo: Garey Ave. Metrolink crossing in Pomona reopen

Crossings Reopening Over Next Few Days

In other updates, over the next several days, crews will reopen the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection (click here for notice) and Walnut Ave. crossing (click here for notice) in San Dimas, and Wheeler Ave. (north of Arrow Hwy.; click here for notice) in La Verne.

Photos: Crews completing roadways and underground utility work at Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection

At the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection (see photos above), crews are nearing completion of a two-month full intersection closure to complete utility relocation and reconfigure the intersection. Crews are currently building new curbs, gutters and medians for the newly-aligned roadways; completing all underground utility work; and continuing work on the new, permanent freight track ahead of reopening.

NOTE: For safety of the traveling public, when the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection reopens this weekend, there will be restricted traffic movements that will continue through the end of 2022; including no left turns in any direction and no thru traffic on Cataract Ave. across Bonita Ave. For more information, click here.

Photos: (top) Walnut Ave. and (bottom) Wheeler Ave. crossings

Early last week, crews closed the northbound lane at the Walnut Ave. crossing, as well as the entire Wheeler Ave. crossing (north of Arrow Hwy.), for two weeks each to complete the roadway and new median construction at both crossings (see photos above). Wheeler Ave. is anticipated to reopen this weekend, while Walnut Ave. will require a two-day full closure ahead of its expected reopening early next week. Walnut Ave. will require a final closure later this year to complete the paving work.

Ongoing/Permanent Closures

Photo: (facing south) Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. intersection

At the Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. intersection in Glendora (see photo above), crews last month closed Grand Ave. north of Foothill Blvd., while maintaining the reconfigured traffic lanes east, west and south of the intersection. This will allow crews to complete the bridge work (more on the bridge below) a few months earlier than originally planned. The closure of Grand Ave. will continue through the end of October (click here for notice), while the lane reconfigurations will continue through the end of November (click here for notice).

Photo: Monte Vista Ave. crossing permanently closed to vehicles

Earlier this month, crews permanently closed the Monte Vista Ave. crossing in San Dimas to vehicles. The permanent closure is due to the length of the east approach of the new light rail bridge over the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection, as well as being required by the California Public Utilities Commission for improved safety. Pedestrians will continue to be able to travel north and south through the crossing during and after construction. For more information on the permanent closure, click here.

At Garey Ave. in Pomona, crews continue to make progress protecting existing underground utilities. As part of this work, crews have implemented single lane closures on Garey Ave. at the railroad crossing, which will continue through the end of the year. For more information on the lane closures, click here. NOTE: A one-month closure of Garey Ave. is planned for later this year to complete the crossing reconstruction work not able to be completed under lane closures. We will keep you posted, when the closure timeline is finalized.

Upcoming Closures in September

In September, it is anticipated that one or two weekend full closures of Route 66 between Hunters Trail and Compromise Line Rd. in Glendora will need to take place to remove the falsework for the new light rail bridge.

In addition, the final full closure of Fulton Rd. at the railroad crossing in La Verne/Pomona is also anticipated to begin in September and last for approximately two months to allow crews to complete the remaining crossing reconstruction and bridge work.

More information will be out soon on these closures, so stay tuned.

To sign up for Construction Alerts, go to www.foothillgoldline.org.

Construction of New Light Rail Bridges Over Major Streets

Below are updates on the four new light rail bridges being built over major city streets (from west to east):

Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. Light Rail Bridge

Photo: Crews constructing new light rail bridge over Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. intersection

As mentioned above, crews last month closed Grand Ave. north of Foothill Blvd. in Glendora, while maintaining the reconfigured traffic lanes east, west and south of the intersection. The full closure of Grand Ave. will continue through the end of October, while the lane closures will continue through the end of November. With this configuration in place, crews will be able to complete work on the new light rail bridge a few months earlier than originally planned. Crews recently completed the installation of the falsework across the intersection and are now constructing the super-structure. As seen in the photo above, crews are currently placing rebar and form panels for the internal portion of the super-structure ahead of a concrete pour.

Photo: Crews constructing east approach for new light rail bridge over Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave.

To the southeast, crews continue to construct the retaining walls for the east approach to the bridge. As seen in the photo above, the retaining walls for the approach now have been built all the way to the east abutment. When completed, the east approach will measure nearly 1,300 feet in length.

To understand what the future light rail bridge over Foothill Blvd./Grand Ave. will look like, click here to see 3D simulations.

Route 66 Light Rail Bridge

Photos: Crews pouring concrete for super-structure of new light rail bridge over Route 66

Crews continue to make significant progress constructing the super-structure for the new light rail bridge over Route 66 in Glendora. Last month (as seen in the photos above), crews completed the second major concrete pour for the deck of the super-structure during a one-night closure of Route 66 (the first concrete pour in June was for the internal portion).

As mentioned earlier, crews will fully close Route 66 between Hunters Trail and Compromise Line Rd. on one or two weekends in September to remove the falsework. More information will be provided soon.

In addition, the nightly intermittent lane or bi-directional closures of Route 66 will continue through September. For more information, click here.

Lone Hill Ave. Light Rail Bridge

As motorists and pedestrians traveling along Lone Hill Ave. in Glendora have no doubt noticed, substantial progress is being made on the new light rail bridge over the street. Measuring 344 ft. long, it is the largest light rail bridge being built as part of the 9.1-mile project from Glendora to Pomona.

To better help the community and businesses understand this bridge, the Construction Authority has released a video, entitled: “Building the Lone Hill Ave. Light Rail Bridge.“ The video, which can be viewed using the links below, provides an overview of the design and ongoing construction of the new bridge.

Featured in the video are interviews with staff from the Construction Authority and KPJV, as well as commentary by Glendora Mayor Karen K. Davis and Foothill Gold Line Board Member and Glendora Council Member Mendell Thompson.

Click here or below to play the video

Currently, crews continue to place rebar and form panels for the internal portion of the bridge super-structure (see photo below) ahead of a major concrete pour. That concrete pour is anticipated to happen soon and will require a full closure of Lone Hill Ave. More information will be provided on the full closure when available.

Photo: Crews constructing super-structure for new light rail bridge over Lone Hill Ave.

To the east of the super-structure, crews have now begun constructing the retaining walls for the east approach of the bridge. As seen in the photo below, the retaining walls consist of custom form panels that feature the project’s citrus design. When completed, the east approach will measure 1,200 feet long.

Photo: Crews constructing retaining walls for the east approach of the new light rail bridge over Lone Hill Ave.

Construction will continue on the Lone Hill Ave. bridge through the end of 2022, with long-term lane closures and a few days of full street closures ahead. To learn more, click here.

Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. Light Rail Bridge

Photos: (top) West and (bottom) east approaches for the new light rail bridge over Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave.

As crews are nearing completion on the two month closure of the Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave. intersection and are preparing to reopen the intersection this weekend (details provided earlier in this update), major work will continue on the light rail bridge approaches to the west and east. For both approaches, crews continue to construct the retaining walls, which will consist of custom form panels that feature the project’s citrus design, as seen in the photos above.

As part of the east approach construction, Monte Vista Ave. is now permanently closed to vehicles. Pedestrian access will be available during and after construction.

To learn more about the future light rail bridge at Bonita Ave./Cataract Ave., click here.

Station Construction Underway

Work is now underway on all four light rail stations; all of which will be center platform stations, with a track on each side – one for westbound and one for eastbound trains.

Read on for updates on the station work currently underway.

Glendora Station – Canopy Fabrication and Public Art

Photos: Fabrication of canopies for the future Glendora station

With most of the station platform deck completed, crews are now fabricating the canopies for the future Glendora station. As seen in the photos above, crews are fabricating the canopies at a shop in Pomona, to be installed at a later date.

Photos: Glendora station artist Michael Hillman previewing station art pieces

Recently, Glendora station artist Michael Hillman hosted a preview of his public art pieces for the future station. In attendance were Glendora Mayor Karen K. Davis and Foothill Gold Line Board Member, Glendora Council Member Mendell Thompson, as well as Foothill Gold Line staff. As seen in the photos above and below, Michael has already begun production of his hand-made ceramic tiles to be used on the station platform column bases; as well as started selecting the Bisazza glass tiles that will make up eight decorative columns, and the material for their bases and crowns. The decorative columns, each uniquely designed and comprised of thousands of individual glass mosaic tiles, were inspired by columns found at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Opera House in Barcelona, Spain. Four will be installed on the station platform in Glendora, and two at each street crossing near the station.

Photo (left to right): Foothill Gold Line Board Member, Glendora Council Member Mendell Thompson; Glendora station artist Michael Hillman; Glendora Mayor Karen K. Davis; and Foothill Gold Line CEO Habib F. Balian with a sample glass tile piece for the future Glendora station

San Dimas Station

At the site of the future San Dimas station, between San Dimas Ave. and Walnut Ave., crews recently completed the installation of the underground conduit that will house the communications and power lines for the station and light rail system. With this work out of the way, crews are now constructing the foundation for the station platform, as seen in the photo below.

Photo: Crews constructing foundation for future San Dimas station platform

La Verne Station

Within the corridor between E St. and White Ave. in La Verne, crews continue to make progress on the future La Verne station platform. As seen in the photo below, crews are currently constructing the deck of the station platform.

Photo: Ongoing construction of platform deck for future La Verne station

Pomona Station

As seen in the photo below, crews are currently readying the site of the future Pomona station ahead of beginning work on the station platform. The Pomona station will be located within the corridor between Fulton Rd. and Garey Ave.

Photo: Site of future Pomona station

To learn more about the plans for the future stations, see these fact sheets: Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona.

Construction of Light Rail Track and Power Systems

Photo (facing west): Crews installing new light rail tracks in La Verne (left); relocated freight track on right

With virtually all of the freight track relocated from Glendora to Pomona, the KPJV track crews are now building the light rail track system throughout the corridor. As seen in the photo above, crews are currently installing new light rail tracks along Arrow Hwy. in La Verne.

Photos: (top) Crews offloading rail sticks in Glendora; (bottom) Rail delivery train making its way thru San Dimas

The majority of the rail sticks that will be used to construct the light rail tracks are coming by way of a specialty rail delivery train that is dropping off rail throughout the corridor this week. This is the last of three rail deliveries for the project.

Please stay alert for the rail delivery train as it completes its final deliveries today (Friday). The horn will be blown as the rail delivery train comes through the crossings and gates will be down for an extended time. We appreciate your patience.

Photo: Crews installing Traction Power Substation in Glendora

The power for the light rail system will come from the Traction Power Substations (TPSS) that are being installed about a mile apart throughout the corridor. The TPSS converts AC power from the local utility into DC power that then travels through the overhead wires to power the light rail system. Crews recently installed the third TPSS on the project (as shown above), and will soon install the fourth. In total, eight TPSS units will be installed from Glendora to Pomona.

Installation of Sound Walls

Photos: Sound wall installation in Glendora

About 28,000 feet of sound walls are being installed from Glendora to Pomona to reduce noise from trains traveling along the corridor for residential and other noise sensitive neighbors. The sound wall panels are being fabricated locally, before being delivered for installation.

To see more of these and other activities that took place this past month, click here or below to watch the latest project highlight video.

Thank you for your continued interest in the Foothill Gold Line. We appreciate your patience as we build this important regional project.

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