The Board of the Construction Authority on Wednesday approved the route, which covers 12.3 miles along an existing rail corridor from Glendora to Montclair with stations in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair.

The Gold Line is currently being extended from eastern Pasadena to the Azusa/Glendora border — that part of the project is being paid for by the Measure R sales tax increase approved by L.A. County voters in 2008. This is the second phase of that project, which is in Metro’s long-range plan. As the news release notes, funding will need to be found in order to build this part of the project.

It’s an intriguing project. If completed, the Gold Line could eventually run all the way from Montclair to downtown Los Angeles and then to Long Beach via the Regional Connector project (not to mention the other leg of the Gold Line from Union Station to East L.A. and eventually either South El Monte or Whittier). The trip from Montclair to Old Town Pasadena is estimated to take about 40 minutes — it would be an alternative to the increasingly congested 210 freeway. The trip from Montclair to downtown Los Angeles about 64 to 70 minutes depending on the station in downtown.

Here’s the final environmental study for the project. And below is the news release from the Foothill Extension Construction Authority, the independent agency that is planning and will build the project:

MONROVIA, CA – At their meeting last night, the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority (Construction Authority) board of directors approved the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension light rail project from Azusa to Montclair. The 12.3-mile light rail extension includes future stations in the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair; as well as two new grade-separated crossings (at Lone Hill in Glendora and Towne Avenue in Pomona). The project would extend light rail service between Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties, terminating the line at the multi-modal TransCenter in Montclair where multiple bus lines from throughout San Bernardino County and Metrolink already connect. The proposed extension is planned to run mostly at street level and parking is planned at each station. “This is an important next step in our effort to connect Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire by light rail and a very exciting milestone,” said Doug Tessitor, Chairman of the Construction Authority board of directors. “The Construction Authority is steadfastly committed to completing our mission of building the Gold Line out to Montclair, and hopefully further to Ontario Airport. Our decision last night allows us to move forward with designing the project as we seek funding to build the line east of Azusa.” The Foothill Extension from Azusa to Montclair is part of the county-wide program of rail service expansion made possible by the passage of Measure R in 2008. One of several rail projects approved by voters in 2008, the Foothill Extension from Pasadena to Montclair is being planned and built in two segments – Pasadena to Azusa (currently under construction) and Azusa to Montclair. Measure R provides $810 million for the 24-mile project; however, completing the project from Pasadena to Montclair will need approximately twice that amount. “We continue to have overwhelming support from our corridor cities and our elected officials at all levels,” added Tessitor. “The board is committed to working through all unresolved issues as we continue to work through the details of this important and large-scale project and start to design elements. We truly appreciate the open communication and working relationship we have with our regional and city partners.” # # # About the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension – The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension is a nearly $2 billion 24-mile extension of the Metro Gold Line light rail system, being overseen by the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, an independent transportation planning and construction agency created in 1999 by the California State Legislature. The project is planned in two segments – Pasadena to Azusa and Azusa to Montclair. The Pasadena to Azusa segment is fully funded by Los Angeles County’s Measure R and is on schedule to be completed in 2015. The Azusa to Montclair segment is not fully funded and will seek funding opportunities following project approval and environmental certification.

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