Construction of the 9.1-mile, $1.6 billion Foothill Gold Line Extension light rail project in the eastern San Gabriel Valley is more than 80% complete, with all the bridge, grade-crossing and track-laying work wrapped up, according to a year-end report from the rail line construction authority.
That progress keeps the project on track to complete construction in the first quarter of next year and turn the rail line back over to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for train car testing and ultimately taking on passengers.
The news was not so good for another local high-profile rail project, the $3.1 billion, 4-mile first phase of Metro’s Purple Line Extension subway along Wilshire Boulevard through the Miracle Mile district. That project had been slated to open late this year; delays have pushed the opening back to sometime next year.
The Foothill Gold Line Extension rail line construction is being led by a joint venture of Omaha, Nebraska-based Kiewit Corp. and Centreville, Virginia-based Parsons Corp.
When this construction phase is complete, the eastern terminus of the Gold Line will move from its current location in Azusa to Pomona. The Gold Line begins at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.
Another 3.2-mile extension to take the Foothill Gold Line across the San Bernardino County line to Montclair has yet to be fully funded. That segment was broken off from the original project in 2018 as construction bids came in substantially higher than what had been budgeted.
The Dec. 21 report from the Foothill Gold Line Extension Construction Authority said overall construction was 81% complete.Â
But that’s not 81% across the board. Some portions of the project – including bridge construction, grade crossings and track-laying – have been completed. The update stated that Kiewit-Parsons-led crews have wrapped up major work on all 21 at-grade crossings and all 19 new or renovated bridges, though some minor construction may be…
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