Environmental Report Approved for Light Rail Line Extension in US State

The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Board has approved the supplemental environmental impact report (SEIR) for the Gold Line Foothill Extension project in the US state of California.

The project is a planned extension of the Metro Gold Line light-rail corridor from its terminus in Pasadena, California, east through Los Angeles County to Azusa, adding six new stations.

Project updates in the SEIR include a 25-acre maintenance and operations facility site in Monrovia City, new parking locations at Irwindale and Monrovia stations, the reconfiguration of an intersection of Mountain Avenue and Duarte Road, and the replacement of two bridges.

The project updates will be integrated into the request for proposals being sent to the three shortlisted teams competing for the $450m design-build contract.

Proposals are due January 27 this year, with a contract award expected in April 2011.

Final design will take about nine months, while construction of the project will begin soon after and will be complete in late 2014.