Funding for Line to Azusa Approved

Northeast Pasadena Blog,

Yesterday, the Metro Board of Directors approved the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), committing the agency to fund construction of Foothill Extension Phase 2A to Azusa as well as complete the line to Claremont!

This victory stands as a testament to the efforts of Foothill Extension supporters who attended Metro Board meetings month after month, speaking on behalf of the San Gabriel Valley and sending letters and emails to board members to make sure this project was not forgotten. For your continued efforts, we sincerely thank you. Without your enthusiasm and commitment, we could not have reached this point.

The Metro Board approved the LRTP unanimously, following the inclusion of a variety of amendments that provided "regional rationality and equity" (in their words) to the plan. With these amendments, the adopted plan resolves many of the concerns we had with the draft plan. It made the following changes in support of the Foothill Extension:

Confirmed that the agency intends to complete the line to Claremont
Committed to operating the line to Azusa and Claremont as soon as each segment is built
Identified it as one of three first priority projects (along with the Crenshaw line and I-5 Highway improvements) for which the agency will pursue additional funding (outside federal New Starts) to complete the project (we need approximately $320 million to complete the line to Claremont)
Over the next few weeks, we will work out how these important changes in the LRTP influence our plans to complete the line to Azusa in 2013. We look forward to continuing to work with Metro Board Chairman Ara Najarian to reach our common goal of having our ground breaking in June 2010!

Sincerely,

I Will Ride Outreach Team
www.iwillride.org