Two of the six cities in the 12.3-mile path of the $1.5 billion Gold Line foothill extension are pursuing lawsuits against the construction authority, saying last-minute changes to the alignment, bridges and plans to acquire properties will cause permanent damage to their cities and are a violation of state environmental laws.

Pomona and San Dimas filed separate lawsuits against the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority in late October and despite continuing dialogue and concessions made by the authority, both have not settled as of Friday. In fact, the two cases were assigned to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos, who has asked the parties to report to court on Thursday for a trial setting conference.

Robert Thornton, attorney for the authority, characterized the hearing as a status conference. When asked if the cities and his client were close to settling, he declined to comment further, “as per the request of the client.” The authority board discussed the case Wednesday in closed session but announced afterward it had no action to report.

Both cities are asking for additional environmental analyses — specifically regarding modifications to construction designs — within their cities. San Dimas is also asking for a temporary restraining order. If these are granted, they could delay the project, which began construction in late December and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2026.

Though similar, the two cases raise different issues.

Pomona objected to a design modification approved by the authority board on Sept. 29 that would replace a single flyover bridge over Towne Avenue with two bridges, one 100-feet long and the other 125-feet long, to shorten construction time and street closures. However, the city rejected the changes, saying they would place the light-rail tracks on a trajectory of 8 feet to 30-feet in height, higher than the original design approved by both sides in 2013, according to Pomona’s lawsuit.

The city also said the new flyover bridge would “cast shadows on the residential buildings north of the railway corridor.” The shadows would impact new townhomes located east of Towne Avenue. The authority-approved environmental report said these impacts were not significant because the shadows would only occur in early morning and early evening for five months of the year.

However, the authority board on Jan. 10, 2018 voted to delete the modification affecting Pomona and go back to the original Towne Avenue bridge design.

“Because of that we think the lawsuit should be dismissed. The issue has been eliminated,” Lisa Levy Buch, spokesperson for authority, said Friday.

Andrew Jared, Pomona’s assistant city attorney, acknowledged Friday that Pomona is in settlement discussions with the authority. The lawsuit will most likely be brought to the Pomona City Council under closed session at its next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 26.

San Dimas’ lawsuit also involves objections to design changes. Specifically, the city’s concern is how the tracks will cross the intersection of Bonita and Cataract avenues, considered the entrance to San Dimas. Originally proposed as a street-level crossing, the authority changed it to a bridge that elevates the light-rail tracks over the roadway. The authority said the bridge was required by the California Public Utilities Commission for safety reasons.

“It is the entrance to the city’s downtown. (The bridge) will cut the downtown off from the rest of the city to the west,” San Dimas Councilman Denis Bertone said Friday. “We really want the bridge to be as nice as possible, not intrusive.”

The lawsuit claims the 28-foot high bridge would block views and create “significant visual impacts on downtown San Dimas.” A retaining wall several hundred feet in length, rising to 28 feet in height is also an issue. “We don’t want a big Berlin-type wall,” Bertone said.

The city claims modifications to a proposed 450-space parking garage at the future San Dimas Gold Line Station at Walnut Avenue and Arrow Highway have not been thoroughly examined for possible negative effects. Without an “appropriate environmental document” the city has asked the court to stop construction.

The new parking garage design would take a lane from Arrow Highway for cars to enter and exit the structure. This could impact traffic flow, the lawsuit claims.

San Dimas also says the authority’s plans to buy up property on Arrow Highway could isolate two historic properties by changing the surrounding environment: the Queen Ann style farmhouse known as “the William T. Michael Residence” and a second building built before 1946 at 221 E. Arrow Highway. The city is asking for an evaluation by a historic expert.