Costly Gridlock on Pasadena Streets

Waiting for the Gold Line to pass can feel like an eternity at the end of the day. – Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News

Pasadena – Gold Line Grade Separation Plan could cost $105 million

By Terry Miller

We’ve all been there. Completely at a standstill in our cars, waiting for the lights to change or a Gold Line train to pass on California and Del Mar. It’s frustrating, and never ending, or so it seems.

Metro is working on the early phases of trying to address this issue, which according to many experts in the field, should have been addressed when the Gold Line construction took place.

Dr. Ted Jorgenson, a renowned specialist in traffic gridlock in major cities said, “I cannot believe they are now planning to rip apart the crossings and create a bridge over troubled water.”

There are two possibilities, the first seems unlikely, either a tunnel or an overpass.

With California’s love affair with cars, it’s hardly surprising that there are an enormous amount of traffic jams, particularly where the Gold Line light rail intersects major arteries like California Blvd. and Del Mar. – Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News

This segment of the Gold Line grade separation intersects California Boulevard, an east-west arterial street with high traffic volumes, resulting in substantial delay and congestion.

This at-grade crossing also contributes to a lack of pedestrian and bicycle connectivity between neighborhoods east and west of the Gold Line. This project has a nexus to the I-710 North project since this at-grade crossing is in close proximity to the I-710 “gap” and grade-separating California Boulevard at the Gold Line will greatly improve traffic flow not only in the east-west direction but also in the north-south direction.

The proposal is in its infancy and is projected to take at least four years to construct and with a hefty price tag to boot.

More on this developing story soon.

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