The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (Construction Authority) on Sept. 12, held a dedication ceremony for the Monrovia Station, as they continue to celebrate with the corridor cities the upcoming substantial completion of construction for the nearly $1 billion, six-station light rail project from Pasadena to Azusa.
The event was attended by elected officials at all levels of government, transportation officials and more than 500 community stakeholders. The 11.5-mile Foothill Gold Line project from Pasadena to Azusa, which broke ground in June 2010, is on time and on budget to be turned over to Metro for pre-revenue service in late-September 2015. Metro anticipates starting pre-revenue service this Fall and passenger service in Spring. An opening date has not yet been determined.
"It is an honor to be here today, in appreciation of a city and a community that has supported this project for over a decade," stated Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority CEO Habib F. Balian. "This tremendous success is due in large part to the grassroots support for the project by elected officials that have represented the project's past, present and future and the Authority's partnership with each of the Foothill Gold Line cities and Metro."
In attendance to dedicate the recently completed station were dozens of elected officials. Speakers included U.S. Representative Grace Napolitano; U.S. Representative Judy Chu; Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Michael Antonovich; Metro Board First Vice Chair and Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority Board Member, Duarte City Councilman John Fasana; Metro Board Member and Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian; and Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority Board Chair Doug Tessitor. The CEO of the Foothill Gold Line, Habib F. Balian, and Deputy CEO of Metro, Stephanie Wiggins, were also in attendance and spoke of the historic occasion. Monrovia Mayor Tom Adams welcomed everyone to the dedication and served as the event's emcee.
"Today we celebrate the renewal of rail in Monrovia," declared Monrovia Mayor Adams. "The city's vision for a transit gateway is well on its way to becoming reality. We have a lot to look forward to, many reasons to be grateful, and much to be proud of."
The Monrovia Station is located on the right-of-way between Magnolia Avenue and Myrtle Avenue and is accessed via Primose Avenue. It is located in the heart of the city's 50-acre Station Square Transit Village, currently under development through public investment and private development. The station was fully revealed to the public for the first time at the dedication and features unique artwork created by public artist Cha-Rie Tang. Titled "River of Time," the station artwork pays homage to Monrovia's architectural heritage and natural landscape. A seven-foot-high sculptural rock, shaped and carved by river water over thousands of years, sits surrounded by handmade glass bricks that create the illusion of water at the base of the station platform ramps. Continuing the illusion of water are the glazed colorful field tiles lined up on the edges of the platform ramps. And installed on every column base on the station platforms are a vast collection of hand-crafted tiles, many of whose designs were created from molds taken of tiles from local homes and landmarks, such as the nearby historic Santa Fe train depot.
