Gold Line Foothill Extension officials provided attendees of the Goverment Affairs Forum on Nov. 4 with a new artist’s design of the transit plaza.
Aritist rendering of transit plaza to be built on northwest corner of intersection at First Avenue and Santa Clara Ave, with two-level expandable parking garage on left (west) and one of two awnings on station platform at center (north) in middle of tracks.
The plaza, which may include some retail shops, will be adjacent to the two-level (and expandable) parking garage on the west and the station platform to the north, all now to be positioned together on the northwest corner of the intersection at First Avenue and Santa Clara, across from 24 Hour Fitness. With the station location moving from the east side of the intersection to the west side, the platform for entering and exiting the trains and two awnings will now be between the eastbound/westbound tracks.
Meanwhile, there were several additional developments relative to the overall project last week detailed in a Metro GLFE e-newsletter:
Iconic Freeway Structure (IFS)
“Potholing” Work
If you drove along the eastbound lanes of the I-210 in mid-October, you may have seen crews near the site of the future IFS. Teams were conducting follow-up “potholing” to verify results of geologic tests conducted in July 2009 (picture at left). Information they gathered will be used as the bridge design is finalized.
Teams are hard at work on the design effort, and construction is scheduled to begin in April.
Phase 2A Financing Update Earlier this week, the Pasadena Star News ran a story on how Metro’s bond plan (approved in September) would likely result in funding being available for Phase 2A as the project needs it, eliminating the need for the design-builder to finance the upfront costs of the project. On Wednesday , BusinessWeek (Bloomberg) ran a story that Metro led the week’s issuers with a $740 million debt (aka bond) sale. The article confirmed that proceeds from the sale would “be used to finance the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension to Azusa and phase two of a light rail to Santa Monica.”
Why is this significant?
The project will no longer need to be financed by the design-builder
Eliminating financing costs will likely save tens of millions of dollars
The project can still be completed years ahead of Measure R’s schedule
As a reminder, the three shortlisted teams have until January 27, 2011 to complete their proposals and an award is anticipated in April 2011.
Supplemental EIR Comment Period Coming to a Close Thank you to everyone who attended last week’s Supplemental Environmental Impact Report public hearing in Arcadia. If you missed it, the presentation given is available on the Authority’s website along with the Draft SEIR. Just a reminder, the comment period ends next Monday, Nov. 8 at 5:00 p.m.
Phase 2B – Foothill Extension from Glendora to Montclair The environmental process is now underway and will be completed in accordance with state (CEQA) and federal (NEPA) guidelines. The 18-month process will identify environmental impacts of the proposed 12-mile extension of the line and how those impacts can be mitigated. Once environmentally cleared through this process, the project will be ready for future construction funding opportunities.
New office, same location The Metro GLFE Construction Authority has moved to a a larger space to better accommodate our team of employees and consultants, while remaining at the same address and suite number. A celebration will be held to celebrate this milestone, meet the team, and preview the Authority’s new website from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 19, at 406 East Huntington Dr., Suite 202, in Monrovia.