WHITTIER >> A plan to extend the Gold Line light-rail line from East Los Angeles to Whittier now proposes going underneath Atlantic Boulevard in East Los Angeles as a way of reaching Washington Boulevard to the south, a Metro official said at a community meeting Monday.
The new plan — released at the meeting at the Whittier Uptown Center — eliminates options to use Arizona Avenue or tunneling underneath Garfield Avenue as ways of reaching Washington Boulevard, said Gene Kim, project manager for Metro.
Metro has proposed two alternatives to extend the train easterly from the Atlantic Boulevard station in East Los Angeles. One would go along the 60 Freeway to South El Monte, and a second would go southeast to Whittier, ending at PIH Hospital.
Kim said a third alternative will include both proposals. It’s now possible by adding a connector line, allowing trains to go west on the alignment along the 60 Freeway to the Atlantic-Washington Boulevard route.
Metro staff plans to hold more community meetings before taking the proposals to the Metro board.
The board will be asked to order environmental studies on the three alternatives — 60 Freeway, Washington Boulevard and both together, Kim said.
Whittier Councilman Fernando Dutra called the new underground proposal “ambitious” but likes it.
“It meets the needs of the communities that are on the proposed route,” Dutra said. “This is a most creative way of making it happen.”
Dutra conceded that the underground route will cost more — Metro doesn’t have any estimates yet — but said his community deserves it.
“The cost is directly attributable to the complexity of the project,” he said. “It’s no more complex than some of the other (light-rail lines) that have been built in Southern California.
Montebello Councilman Bill Molinari, who has supported the 60 Freeway route and opposed the Washington Boulevard route, said the new proposals change nothing.
“Eliminating Garfield made sense but Washington Boulevard does not make sense as an alternate to the 60 Freeway,” Molinari said. “(A light-rail line) would create a massive disruption to traffic on that corridor. It’s a major east-west truck route between the (rail yards) and the 605 Freeway.”
Eddie Torres, president of the East Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, said he likes the new Atlantic Boulevard proposal.
“Underground is 100 percent better than aerial and at grade,” Torres said.
Metro has been studying the extension of the Gold Line for the last 10 years. Plans ground to a halt in November 2014 when the Metro board could not decide which route to build and instead, began a technical study that considers building both routes.
The 6.9-mile 60 Freeway route would add four new stations and serve about 16,700 riders on weekdays at a cost of about $2 billion, said South El Monte City Councilman Joe Gonzales and chairman of the SR-60 Coalition, which includes South El Monte, El Monte, Rosemead, Monterey Park, Montebello and City of Industry.
The Washington Boulevard route — as earlier proposed — would have served an estimated 19,900 passengers per weekday and would be 9.5 miles long with six stations. Because this route has several options, cost estimates are unavailable.
In 2014, Metro estimated the cost of building both extensions at about $5 billion.
About $6 billion has been earmarked in two transit measures, Measure R passed by voters in 2008 and Measure M, passed by voters in November, Kim said.
However, only $3 billion will be available in 2029, he said. Another $3 billion will be available in 2053, he added.
More meetings will be held:
• Today, 6 to 8 p.m., Quiet Cannon, Spyglass Room, 901 Via San Clemente, Montebello
• Wednesday, 6 to 8 p.m., South El Monte Senior Center, 1556 Central Ave., South El Monte
• Feb. 15, 6 to 8 p.m., Commerce Senior Citizens Center, 2555 Commerce Way, Commerce
• Feb. 16, 6 to 8 p.m., AltaMed PACE East Los Angeles, 5425 E. Pomona Blvd., Los Angeles
Staff writer Steve Scauzillo contributed to this report.
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