Ceremonial Groundbreaking for $12.5 million bridge over Santa Anita Avenue
Groundbreaking for $12.5 million bridge over Santa Anita Avenue
A ceremonial groundbreaking with Foothill Extension officials and Arcadia City council members took place Friday May 12 on Santa Anita near the InNOut Burger location.
The City of Arcadia hosted the ceremony for the new grade-separated crossing being built by the Construction Authority as part of the Pasadena to Azusa extension. The $12.5 million bridge is being paid for by the city and its residents.
In 2006, after it was determined that the street traffic on Santa Anita did not meet the official requirements to mandate a separated crossing, the city took the issue to its voters. Nearly 72% agreed that they were willing to pay for the grade separation over Santa Anita Avenue rather than have a street-level crossing.
Construction of the new bridge over Santa Anita Avenue for the railroad crossing of the Metro Gold Line is due to begin on May 1, 2013. This will impact traffic on Santa Anita Avenue with long-term lane closures during the day, and some full road closures overnight. Detours and closures will be posted. During the construction, local businesses will remain open and accessible. There will also be a closure of La Porte Street at Santa Anita Avenue during the construction. The bridge project is projected in phases with this first phase of construction being May-August 2013.
Metro work is nearing completion on the new railroad bridge over Colorado Boulevard and the road is anticipated to reopen at the end of April 2013.
If you commute via Santa Anita Avenue, please consider using an alternate north-south roadway during construction to avoid delays and detours.
For more information, visit www.foothillextension.org, call the hotline at 626-324-7098. There is also a Public Information Office located at 400 N. Santa Anita Avenue, Suite 101-B, Arcadia, open Monday and Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Photos and report by Terry Miller