2021 Gold Line Updates
July 2021
This month, the City of Montclair transmitted a letter to the office of Governor Gavin Newsom, requesting his support of a proposed budget trailer bill appropriation of $540.5 million to complete the Foothill Gold Line light rail extension project to the cities of Claremont and Montclair ─ the Project has been renamed the “L” Line, but the Gold Line is still the commonly-used Project name. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also announced his support for extending the Project to Montclair.
The proposed $540.5 million trailer bill appropriation, together with funding from the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), would allow the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority to complete the final leg of the Project from Pomona to Claremont and Montclair, achieving one of the major projects listed in Los Angeles County Transportation Authority’s (Metro) Twenty-Eight by ’28 initiative. Completing these 28 major transportation and transit projects by 2028 when the Los Angeles area hosts the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games would serve as testimony to the generational outcomes that can be achieved when the State and regional partners collaboratively participate. In Los Angeles County the Twenty-Eight by ’28 initiative projects are supported with funding from Measure M (a countywide transportation sales tax initiative); and in San Bernardino County the Gold Line extension to Montclair is supported with funding from Measure I (a countywide transportation sales tax initiative) and other funding sources.
Funding for the Gold Line extension to Montclair must be completed no later than early September to provide the Gold Line Construction Authority ample time to complete funding agreements with the Project’s contractor by October 7, 2021. The contract, awarded to Kiewit-Parsons approximately two years ago, includes a set price to complete the Project to the Montclair Transcenter. The Construction Authority must exercise the Pomona to Montclair Option by the October 7 date or the project would have to be rebid as a separate project and would likely result in increased costs due to labor and construction costs ─ the cost of steel, lumber and other building materials increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, although the prices of some commodities, particularly lumber, have dropped back down.
The Construction Authority and Metro must also complete a reimbursement agreement with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA).
Engineering and construction for extension from Pomona to Montclair includes relocation of Metrolink tracks and laying temporary tracks for Metrolink and freight operations; demolishing and relocating the existing Metrolink station in Claremont and constructing new Gold Line stations in Claremont and Montclair (the Montclair Metrolink station would be expanded to accommodate the Gold Line station); and erecting light rail bridges over Monte Vista Avenue, Garey Avenue, Towne Avenue and Indian Hill Boulevard at a cost of approximately $30 million for each bridge.
Extension of the Gold Line is supported by approximately 15 regional state legislators representing the San Gabriel Valley and western San Bernardino County. The legislators, mostly from the San Gabriel Valley Legislative Caucus,” are making a concerted push for the State Legislature to allocate $540 million to close the funding gap and extend the light-rail line from Pomona to Montclair. The work would complete a 12.3-mile extension of the line currently under construction from Azusa to Pomona.
State legislators sent a letter to chairs of the Senate and Assembly budget committees requesting that state surplus dollars be used to finance completion of the Gold Line to Montclair. In May 2021, Governor Newsom committed approximately $5.3 billion of the State’s $79 billion budget surplus for Fiscal Year 2021-22 to transit projects. State lawmakers who signed the letter include Senator Susan Rubio and Assembly Members Freddie Rodriguez, Chris Holden, Blanca Rubio and Ed Chau. The cities of Montclair and Claremont joined in the effort.
Assembly Member Chris Holden, who is a leading proponent of the Gold Line extension to Montclair, gained support from labor groups and Los Angeles County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Hilda Solis. The project is projected to generate 17,000 jobs according to the Construction Authority.
The extension to Montclair has a completion date of 2028; however, the extension from Azusa to Pomona is one year ahead of schedule and is expected to provide fare service in early 2025. A separate study conducted by Metro indicates the Gold Line will achieve significant ridership gains, particularly out of Montclair, with projected ridership at approximately 8,500 daily boardings by 2042 based on headway improvements. The Metrolink San Bernardino Line is also projected to realize an increase in daily boardings, indicating that the Gold Line does not represent a threat to Metrolink ridership despite the fact that both rail services will operate out of Pomona, Claremont and Montclair.
At the federal level, Congresswoman Norma Torres pushed to include the Gold Line Extension Project in the Biden-Harris Administration’s infrastructure plan. The Project would, however, need federal certification under NEPA, which would add further delay and costs.
Extending light rail to Montclair achieves a secondary outcome that complies with the Governor’s initiative to build high-density residential and affordable housing near major transit hubs. The Montclair Transcenter functions as a major multimodal transit hub along the Metrolink San Bernardino Line. Extending light rail to the Montclair Transcenter greatly expands public transit routes to the region, and encourages Montclair’s ongoing efforts to construct eight thousand to ten thousand residential units within one-half mile of the Transcenter.
Since 2006, the North Montclair Downtown Specific Plan has called for higher-density housing around the Montclair Transcenter, with the expectation that the Gold Line would be completed to the City. Several high-density housing projects have already been completed, including the Paseos Luxury Apartment, Arrow station, and the Alexan-Kendry. The Village at Montclair, a 360-unit mixed-use development is expected to enter its construction phase by early 2022. Other housing projects are also in the planning stage.
Light rail service to the Montclair Transcenter would also complement the multi-modal facility’s bus and Metrolink commuter rail service. Greyhound is also expected to locate service out of the Transcenter. The Montclair Place District Specific Plan, approved last December, also includes housing as a major component for future development.
August 2021
Assembly Member Chris Holden (41st District), a leading advocate in the State Legislature for using State surplus dollars to fund completion of the Gold Line to Montclair, penned an editorial urging Governor Newsom to allocate $540 million to close the funding needed by the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority. Funding for the final leg of the eastern extension of the light rail system must be identified by early October 2021 if the Construction Authority is to take advantage of current costing under the fixed-price contract option with the design-builder Kiewit Parsons Joint Venture (KPJV). If Governor Newsom agrees to the request, the Construction Authority projects a 2026 completion date for the extension to Montclair. The Claremont and Montclair stations are projected to add up to 9,000 daily boarding’s for the Gold Line, now called the “L” Line. The Project is also expected to reduce vehicle miles travelled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Several cities with future Gold Line stations, including Montclair, are building transit-adjacent housing and other development to promote public transit. The full text of Assembly Member Holden’s OPED follows:
August 6, 2021
In the past week, I’ve been watching the Summer Olympics and cheering on our Team USA athletes. With millions across the globe captivated with the competitions in Tokyo, it got me thinking, in seven years, that will be Los Angeles. And just as athletes prepare and train for their Olympic moment, so must our policymakers.
Right now, we have an opportunity to invest in a climate-friendly transportation solution that can be built and operational by the time athletes from around the world arrive in Southern California. I, along with lawmakers from the San Gabriel Valley, am calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to fund the completion of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension light rail project. The $540 million investment would further extend the Metro Gold Line to Montclair by 2026.
I have seen firsthand how transformative the Gold Line has been for the San Gabriel Valley. My advocacy for sustainable transit solutions began more than 30 years ago as a former Pasadena mayor and City Council member. I served on the task force that helped establish the Metro Gold Line and worked with our community to help identify the initial light rail routes. As an Assembly Member, I chair the Select Committee on Regional Transportation Solutions, where we have called for climate-resilient transit throughout Southern California. I will continue to push for the Gold Line to expand further until it extends from the Burbank to the Ontario airports. This solution that will bring climate action and economic benefits to our region.
The funding we have requested will jumpstart the latest Gold Line extension that will connect two large counties and bring much-needed relief to one of the busiest commute corridors in the country. San Bernardino County is home to some of the state’s worst congestion and air quality. We have an urgent need to clean our air and curtail climate change effects. Extending the Gold Line will link millions of new users to Metro’s rail and bus network.
We know rail lines are catalysts for economic development. Significant growth in housing and jobs has already commenced within a ½-mile of the future stations. Students at nearly two dozen universities and colleges will have access within a short walk, bike or bus ride to a future station.
The Gold Line Authority has completed each segment on time and on budget and this last project is shovel-ready, and on track for the same outcome. Right now, we’ve got everything in motion to build the extension to Pomona. If we received this crucial funding this October, the construction to Montclair could be completed by the 2028 Olympics. If we miss that deadline, the project’s construction costs will increase significantly, making completion a much more expensive endeavor for our region. Improving mobility, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing corridor safety are all on the line. Not only will we fulfill California’s most crucial transportation goals, but we’ll also do it with inclusivity and equity in mind as numerous disadvantaged communities stand to benefit.
In 2028, I hope families will attend a soccer match at the Rose Bowl or go watch swimming or track and field competitions, maybe even beach volleyball, all without driving a car. With the state’s significant budget surplus, we have a golden opportunity to make this hope a reality. I’m asking Governor Gavin Newsom to make this investment and help us transform how we move around Southern California in the next decade and beyond. Let’s go for the gold and dedicate $540 million to fund the Gold Line Extension to Montclair.
September 2021
In mid-September, Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers tabled discussions for this legislative session on a range of transportation and transit projects that include $4.2 billion in high-speed rail bond funding and $540 million for extension of the Gold Line from Pomona to Montclair. The decision to suspend talks places a number of projects on hold or in doubt, and would likely increase construction costs for those transportation and transit projects that do go forward.
In his discussions with legislators, the Governor requested that the $10 billion balance remaining from voter authorized funding contained in Proposition 1A (2008) for the high speed rail project be committed to allowing completion, by 2029, of the project’s first segment from Merced to Bakersfield. In the deal, Newsom offered $1 billion for transit projects in Southern California; however, legislators pushed back, arguing the high speed rail project is a stranded Central Valley asset.
Legislators and the Governor are expected to continue negotiations on the funding issue in hopes of reaching an agreement for next year’s budget cycle. For the Gold Line Extension Project, the decision is impactful. The current contract for construction of the project to Pomona contains an option to extend the Gold Line beyond Pomona to Montclair, but with this important caveat: the option must be approved by October 7, 2021—if not, the contract option expires. The extension project would then have to be re-bid, adding up to 18 months for preparation and award of the project. The Foothill Gold Line Extension Construction Authority estimates that rebidding the Pomona to Montclair segment will add $150 million to $200 million to complete the extension to Montclair. The completion date to Montclair would also change, from the current 2026 to 2027 or early 2028.
Over the last several months state Legislators and officials in San Gabriel Valley cities, Claremont, and Montclair submitted numerous requests to the Governor’s office asking for funding consideration from the state’s estimated $76.7 billion state budget surplus as gap funding to complete the 3.3 miles from Pomona to Claremont and Montclair. Unfortunately the demise of talks over the high speed rail project undermined that effort, and a budget trailer bill incorporating funding requests failed to materialize before the Legislature’s September 10 deadline to pass bills. California Assembly Member Chris Holden, an advocate of the extension to Montclair, believes the project may stand a better chance for funding in 2022, but at the steeper construction price tag.
Uncertainty regarding state funding motivated Congress Member Norma Torres to invite Congressman David Price, Chairman of the House Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee to Montclair for a presentation on the Gold Line Extension Project and tour of the Montclair and Claremont Transit Districts.
At the September 13 visit, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Ruh welcomed Congress Members Price and Torres and other attendees to the Montclair Kids’ Station at the Transcenter, where they received a brief introduction of the Gold Line project by Construction Authority CEO Habib Balian. The group then boarded a chartered bus for a tour of the two transit districts. On the tour, Mayor Pro Tem Run spoke of the need to acquire the Transcenter’s northern parking fields for affordable housing projects, while also retaining the requirement for 1,600 parking spaces by constructing parking structures adjacent to the tracks.
Community Development Director Michael Diaz spoke on current and future high-density housing and mixed-use projects recently developed, under development, and in design for Montclair’s transit district. The project list includes:
- The Paseos at Montclair
- Alexan-Kendry Apartments
- Proposed Alexan-Kendry Expansion
- Vista Court Apartments
- Arrow Station at Montclair Townhomes and Single Family Homes
- Village at Montclair ─ scheduled to begin construction in early 2022
- Projects proposed for Montclair Place District
Mr. Diaz also spoke on the North Montclair Downtown and Montclair Place District Specific Plans.
During the tour of the Claremont Transit District, Claremont Council Member Ed Reece spoke on the importance of transit to the students and faculty that work at, and attend the Claremont Colleges, noting that the Gold Line is often referred to as the “Brain Train” because once completed to Montclair, the light rail line will serve approximately two dozen different institutions of higher learning.
Both Montclair Mayor Pro Tem Ruh and Claremont Council Member Reece spoke on the positive environmental housing, employment, economic, cultural, educational, health, and entertainment benefits to be gained for residents of the area by completing the Gold Line to San Bernardino County.
The tour concluded by returning to the Montclair Transcenter where Chairman Price stated that he was impressed with the quality of the presentation and tour, and that it provided him with a depth of knowledge of the project and its importance to the region that he did not previously appreciate.
The Chairman’s role as leader of the House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee is potentially vital to the future of the Gold Line Extension because of his oversight role over transit dollars contained in the Biden-Harris Administrations proposed infrastructure bill and H.R.1319 — American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which includes $365.9 billion in direct funding for state, local, tribal, and territory infrastructure systems, including over $30 billion for transportation.
Montclair City staff is working with the City’s federal legislative advocate and other stakeholders to secure federal infrastructure grant assistance for the Gold Line Extension and is also working with Congress Member Torres’ office to introduce legislation that would exempt transit projects, nationwide, from National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review if the project has already undergone a state environmental review that is at least equal to the standards specified in NEPA ─ in the case of California, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is considered superior to NEPA.
October 2021
On October 15, 2021, Assembly Member Laura Friedman and Speaker Anthony Rendon sent a letter to Governor Newsom asking that he re-engage with legislators to deliver high-speed rail to California to fulfill the spirit and intent of Proposition 1A (2008)—the high-speed rail bond measure. The letter also urged him to re-visit discussions on local transit and transportation projects.
In Governor Newsom’s May Budget Revision, he had agreed to provide $3.3 billion for transportation projects, including, potentially, funding for the Gold Line extension from Pomona to Montclair, provided the Legislature appropriates $4.2 billion in Proposition 1A bond funds for the high-speed rail project. The Legislature, in turn, responded with a list of transit, transportation, and high-speed rail-related projects that did not appear to fully meet the Governor’s $4.2 billion request for high-speed rail and exceeded his $3.3 billion proposal for local projects. As a result, the Governor’s office suspended negotiations until later in the current year.
Suspension of talks resulted in the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority being unable to execute the fixed price contract option with Kiewit-Parsons Joint Venture (KPJV) to complete the 12.3-mile project from Glendora to Montclair as part of a single procurement. Under terms of the contract option, the Construction Authority had until October 7 to demonstrate that it developed the necessary $540 million in additional funding required for the Pomona to Montclair segment. Instead, the extension from Pomona to Montclair is to be re-bid as a separate project, and the Construction Authority anticipates the cost to complete the Pomona to Montclair segment will escalate.
The Construction Authority is currently reworking the cost of the extension to Montclair, and will submit the revised amount to Legislative leaders for discussions with the Governor. The Construction Authority has formally requested a price from KPJV to extend the contract option for an additional year. KPJV has agreed, and will provide a price revision before January 2022. Under separate internal review, the Construction Authority estimates the cost to complete the additional 3.1-mile, two-station project from Pomona to Montclair is $670 million (an increase of $130 million from the previous request). That projected revision includes the estimated change in construction costs, Construction Authority costs, Metro and other third-party agency costs, and real estate-related costs.