The $1.5 billion, 9-mile first phase of the Foothill Gold Line Extension light rail line from Glendora to Pomona is set to be transferred to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority next month for final prep work in advance of its expected opening next summer.
That was the word late last month from the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority, which has overseen the bulk of the construction. The authority said that as of Nov. 25, construction was 92% complete.
For the remainder of this month, the authority’s announcement said, construction crews will be testing the light rail system and putting the finishing touches on the buildout of the four new stations in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona.
“We are now just four weeks away from delivering the 9.1-mile, four-station extension of the Metro A Line from Glendora to Pomona on time and on budget, despite beginning major construction just as the Covid-19 pandemic was taking hold,” said Habib Balian, chief executive of the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority.
The work is being led by a joint venture consisting of Omaha, Nebraska-based Kiewit Corp. and Centreville, Virginia-based Parsons Corp.
Once the project is transferred to Metro, that agency will oversee final preparation work, including finishing touches on the physical infrastructure and train and electrical systems testing. Metro will then make the final decision on the opening date.
Balian said of the project opening that it will provide “current and future generations with a sustainable and dependable transportation option to and from the foothill cities of the San Gabriel Valley.”
But that won’t be the end of construction for the Foothill Gold Line Extension. Thanks to nearly $800 million in state funding received as part of a major transit bill this summer, the remaining 3.2-mile portion of the extension to Montclair in San Bernardino County that had been severed from the project five years ago due to soaring materials and labor costs is now back on the table.
Metro on Oct. 31 released the funds to the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority, which will put that segment out to bid next spring. The same joint venture of Kiewit and Parsons is the frontrunner to be awarded the work on this second phase, which is expected to be completed in 2030.
