The construction authority responsible for building the A (Gold) Line in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley celebrated Thursday by receiving nearly $800 million to help extend the line to Claremont and Montclair, making it the first light rail train to cross San Gabriel Valley. provided. Bernardino County.

The money came in two steps: California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) to LA Metro on October 31. Then on Nov. 14, the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority board of directors voted to receive $798 million from LA Metro, which will be used to secure a contract for the 3.2-mile extension project.

LA Metro’s commitment is to move light rail from Pomona to Claremont. The next mile to the small city of Montclair in the Inland Empire will cost about $80 million; this money was appropriated for construction by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA).

LA Metro reported that the two sections brought the estimated cost of the project to $878 million. Habib Balian, CEO of the Gold Line construction authority, said a bid from contractor Kiewit Infrastructure Engineers is expected in January. The contract is planned to be signed between March and May and the foundation will be laid in the autumn. He said it is expected to be completed in 2030.

Authority board members talked about finally getting the dollars to cover the gap after the project was cut in 2019 and ended up in La Verne because it ran out of money. Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval said he received another $126 million from the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments to build the building in Pomona.

The Azusa to Pomona extension will be completed on January 3, 2025. LA Metro will open the service in a few months, allowing riders to travel from Long Beach to Los Angeles, Pasadena and Pomona. It is the longest light rail line in the country.

John Fasana, a former board member of both the authority and the LA Metro board and a former mayor of Duarte, spent decades promoting the Gold Line, the original name that many still use.

“We’ve done a lot of things to keep this line moving forward,” he told the authority’s board at a meeting in Monrovia on Thursday. “We arrived in Pasadena (from Union Station in Los Angeles) in 2008. It was about nationwide mobility. But I would say it was a lot harder than it needed to be.”

Fasana later spoke during an interview about opposition to the line from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who did not want the line to go any further than Pasadena. Moving on to Claremont and now San Bernardino County He was supported by Mayor Eric Garcetti. said Fasana.

“It ushered in a more collaborative era,” he said.

Even after reaching Pasadena, the first stage, many people said no one would ride it. “All of this has been proven wrong,” Fasana added.

Cliff Hamlow, a former Glendora councilman and authority board member, said he joined several cities in the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire in persuading a Los Angeles-leaning L.A. Metro board to fund the expansion to Montclair.

“It was a matter of taking control from Los Angeles. “They didn’t believe the San Gabriel Valley existed,” Hamlow said. “It’s exciting that it’s reaching Claremont and Montclair.”

Montclair City Councilman and board member Bill Ruh held back tears at one point before voting to accept the extension funding.

“We are very excited about this. “This is a decades-long journey for me,” he said after the meeting. “This is a dream come true for Montclair residents and all families in our region who rely on public transportation.”

When extension funding was turned down by the state in 2021, 2022 and 2023, Spirit and Montclair Mayor John Dutrey emphasized that Inland Empire residents should be able to ride a light rail system to get to their jobs in Pasadena, Los Angeles. and Long Beach.

They saw value in $1.75 light rail connecting the two counties, saying it would appeal to commuters who normally take the 210, 10 and 50 eastbound in the mornings and then west in the evenings, making it one of the best options. Most of the congestion in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties is freeways.

In an Oct. 31 speech at LA Metro, Sandoval talked about young Angelenos moving to Montclair, Upland, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana and finding cheaper housing options during their daily commute in LA County.

“Connecting San Bernardino County and Los Angeles County is absolutely crucial,” Ruh said, adding that people don’t realize when they cross the county line. “Residents drive across these county lines every day,” he added.

Progressive city Montclair He planned to build housing around the Montclair station, near the transit center. It has laid out specific plans for more housing near where the A Line’s easternmost station will be located. Likewise, Pomona and Glendora are developing housing plans near their stations.

Claremont City Councilman Ed Reece was stunned by the idea of ​​his small city connecting to a Los Angeles and soon IE train.

“This project has had many ups and downs. I am so excited about where we are today, my soul is overflowing, overflowing with excitement, overflowing with appreciation. “I will never forget this day when we all came together to celebrate this milestone,” Reece said.