Gold Line gains a fast track to federal funding
By Gary Scott Staff Writer
Pasadena Star-News
PASADENA - What is a little financial independence worth?
About $5.4 million to the board overseeing construction of the
Gold Line train from Pasadena to Montclair.
Transportation officials notified the Gold Line Construction Authority on Friday that it is now eligible to receive funds directly from the federal government, removing a layer of red tape that nearly cost the agency $2.9 million.
"It just streamlines the whole process," said Habib Balian, chief executive officer for the construction authority. "It is another piece of the puzzle coming together."
The designation gives the authority immediate access to two large grants that had been sitting idle. The first, at $2.9 million, will be used for routine planning and design. The second, at $2.5 million, is slated for a comprehensive study of housing and retail development planned along the line.
Balian said this list of projects will serve to leverage additional federal funds by showing legislators that the Gold Line is a tool for spurring economic investment.
"This is great news for both the project and for the cities along the corridor," said La Verne Mayor Jon Blickenstaff, chairman of the construction authority.
There are 11 cities along the 24-mile extension and many have plans to develop transit-related projects at or near the proposed Gold Line stops.
Extending the Gold Line to Montclair is expected to cost $1.2 billion, with most of that amount coming from federal transportation dollars.
Being able to tap into those funds directly should simplify matters, Balian said, by ensuring the construction authority can set its own timetables.
The Gold Line almost lost the $2.9 million grant because the pass-through agency, the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, failed to take necessary steps in a timely matter, according to Balian.
"Once everybody knew what the problem was and what had not happened between 2004 and 2005, Caltrans jumped in to fix it," Balian said.
The mix-up further strained already tense relations between the two agencies and helped convince construction authority officials that financial independence was needed.
Over the next couple of years, the construction authority will collect another $16 million in federal earmarks to continue planning.
Construction on the Gold Line extension is scheduled to begin in 2008, with the Pasadena-to-Azusa leg scheduled to open in 2010 and the Azusa-to-Montclair leg opening four years later.
gary.scott@sgvn.com