About the Foothill Extension

The proposed extension will continue the Metro Gold Line from its current terminus in East Pasadena through the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair. A trip from Montclair to downtown Pasadena would take a little over 40 minutes and further to Los Angeles would take approximately 75 minutes. It will offer shorter commuting trips, increased energy savings (estimated 1.5 million gallons of gasoline each year) and reduced levels of pollution (estimated 4 tons of carbon monoxide).

History Lesson for New Readers

To understand the status and path forward for the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension, including funding strategies, a review on how and why the Metro Gold Line Construction Authority was created may be helpful.

Creating An Independent Construction Authority to Keep the Gold Line Alive

The Metro Gold Line Construction Authority is an independent transportation planning and construction agency created in 1998 by the California State Legislature, SB 1847. Its sole purpose was to immediately resume design, contracting and construction of the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Gold Line (formerly the Pasadena Blue Line) which had been suspended by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) in the same year. The newly formed construction authority completed its charge in just under three years with the 13.7 mile line opened in 2003 on time and under budget. For this leg of the project, state and local funding (Proposition A and C) were already in place to fund the project.

The same legislation that created the Construction Authority also dictated its role to plan and construct “any fixed mass transit guide way eastward to Claremont.” This was later extended to Montclair to include the city's regional transit hub, the “Transcenter,” and gain the support and participation of the San Bernardino Council of Governments.

Using a Total Project Approach

Even while constructing Phase 1 of the Los Angeles to Pasadena leg of the Metro Gold Line, the Construction Authority began the initial environmental impact studies for the extension eastward (now the Foothill Extension). In doing this, completion of the total project - - from Los Angeles to Montclair – could occur as quickly as possible using the same construction authority management structure and the design / build construction practices responsible for the success of Phase 1. This preliminary planning work also set in motion the activities and milestones needed for federal funding, a critical component of Phase 2 construction and implementation.

With a track record of success, and a completed Alternative Analysis and Draft Environmental Impact Report, the Foothill Extension was included as an FTA “New Starts” Project in the 2005 Transportation Authorization Bill. Championing the project on both local and national levels were several elected officials including Congressman David Dreier, whose district represents 7 cities of the proposed alignment, and Congressman Adam Schiff, who in 1998 along with Assembly members Bob Margett and Jack Scott spearheaded efforts to guarantee light rail for the San Gabriel Valley by co-authoring Senate Bill 1847. Needless to say, the support and advocacy of all our elected officials remains a critical component of our progress. We hope you will join us in expressing your appreciation for their efforts in your own civic and community activities.

Project / Funding Update

When construction began on the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Gold Line in 2000, it was the single major light rail project underway in Los Angeles County .

Since then, and under Metro's management (formerly MTA), plans and construction for new mass transit lines in Los Angeles County are at an all time high and include the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension (East Los Angeles / Under Construction), Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension Phase II (Whittier/ In Planning), EXPO Line Phase 1 (Central Los Angeles/ Under Construction), EXPO Line Phase II (West Los Angeles / In Planning), and the Downtown LA Regional Connector (Downtown Los Angeles / In Planning ). The Wilshire Boulevard “subway to the sea” concept has also launched a series of public meetings and garnered enough interest to lift a 20-year prohibition on tunneling in the City of Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles County , and mirrored through the country, competition for transit funding is at its peak. Local funding through Propositions A & C (allocated through Metro) are all but exhausted. Federal funding for mass transit projects in Los Angeles County and throughout the nation are still vulnerable to the health of the nation's economy.

With the heightened urgency to halt gridlock, and fewer funds to do it, it makes sense that more and more political leaders are advocating high priority should be given to projects that are “ready to build.”

“We're Ready, Are You?”

In the case of the Foothill Extension, it is more than just a slogan, it's true. The Foothill Extension project is ahead of other project considerations in many ways including: completion of an Alternatives Analysis; completion and approval of the Draft Environmental Impact Report /Statement, and completion of the Advanced Conceptual Engineering which included a comprehensive community-based station design and public art approval process in 2006. In addition, Phase 2(A) through Azusa received CEQA certification in 2007. Click here for full checklist and description of milestones and schedule forward.

Cities along the corridors have also given both individual and collective nods to project, participating in the planning process through a Joint Powers Authority serving in a formal advisory capacity to the Construction Authority. Within this newsletter, you will also read how land use planning, as well as current and future city developments have been influenced by the potential arrival of the Metro Gold Line.

“All Fronts” Funding Strategy

As an atypical and non-revenue producing transportation agency, the Metro Gold Foothill Extension Construction Authority has developed a comprehensive “all fronts” funding strategy for construction. The following is a snapshot of the strategies currently in development:

SAFETEA LU: Federal Dollars

On August 10, 2005, President Bush signed into law the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) that included record funding for various new highway, transit, freight, safety and research programs. Within the bill, the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension was identified as a potential “New Starts” project, paving the way for the federal funding application process to begin in earnest. In the case of the Foothill Extension project, the greatest challenges for this funding path include 1) ridership projections 2) local match funding resources, and 3) a financial commitment from Metro to operate the line once constructed.

An alternate federal funding plan and “local challenge” was announced by Congressman Adam Schiff at a press conference on December 3, 2007. The Congressman, who spearheaded the creation of the Construction Authority in 1998 to save the Gold Line, indicated a strong chance that the FTA would be willing to fund 80% of the first segment of the line through Azusa , as long as state and local officials can come up with the remaining 20%. A formal agreement with the FTA on this strategy is in development, although local leadership and elected officials are already moving forward to identify and secure the needed local match for meet this challenge.

Proposition 1B Funds

The Construction Authority is working with the State of California as well as Metro to push for an allocation of the region's appropriation of Proposition 1 B funds to directly fund the construction of Phase 2 (A) of the Foothill Extension and/or be used towards a local match for federal funding. Voters approved the proposition in November 2006. As expressed in allocation guidelines, a critical determination of projects to be considered is project readiness. Click here for a report on the 6/2/07 San Gabriel Valley Legislative Caucus Meeting regarding Proposition 1B.

Extension to Ontario Airport

Although not a component of the actual Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension financial plan, a light rail link to the LA / Ontario International Airport from Montclair makes the timely completion of the full Foothill Extension line all the more critical and feasible. The recent $500,000 financial commitment of the San Bernardino Association of Governments and the Southern California Associated Governments toward a strategic planning study for the airport link is a strong endorsement that both projects will be extremely beneficial to both Los Angeles and San Bernardino County .

The Final Critical Factor

Central to all of these financial plans and funding strategies is Metro's commitment and funding allocation to operate the line once constructed. This requires that Metro include the Foothill Extension project in their "Long-Range Transportation Plan." A draft of the document was presented to the Metro Board in late January 2008, to be followed in the spring by a 45-day public comment period. If the Foothill Extension project is not included in this draft, the future of this project is critically threatened. Check back with the Foothill Extension website for updates and ways to participate and impact this process. Click here to see video and read transcripts from supporters of the Foothill Extension at a Metro meeting held in August, 2007.

Click Here for milestones achieved and schedule forward.
Click Here to view prior project newsletters.
Click Here to learn how light rail has affected property values in other cities.
Click Here to see "Before and After" photos of the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Gold Line.