Metro Gold Line Extension passes key milestone
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefThe Los Angeles Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority has awarded a $485.9 million design-build contract to Foothill Transit Constructors, a Kiewit Parsons joint venture.
Authority directors called the contract “a significant milestone” for the 11-5-mile light rail project, which will extend the Metro Gold Line from Union Station to the Los Angeles County line, along the Foothills of the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys. The work is expected to create nearly 7,000 jobs and $1 billion in economic output to the region during the four years of final design and construction.
The authority, an independent transportation planning and construction agency created in 1999 by the California State Legislature, said Los Angeles County’s Measure R half-cent sales tax increase will fully fund the contract.
The Metro Gold Line opened in 2003, connecting downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena, and now averages more than 39,000 boardings every weekday.
