Indian Hill Boulevard Grade Separation Proposal, January 25, 2016

Proposal – Grade Separate Indian Hill To improve the project for the long-term, the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority is discussing an option to grade-separate Gold Line trains over Indian Hill Blvd., rather than build the crossing at street level (at-grade) as currently approved –The Construction Authority is seeking input from the City of Claremont on this option, which would be further reviewed as part of an addendum to the certified Final Environmental Impact Report and considered for inclusion in the cost of the overall project budget

Proposal – Grade Separate Indian Hill If approved for inclusion in the cost of the overall project budget by the Construction Authority board of directors, the cost to design and build a grade-separated crossing would be paid for by the Construction Authority as part of the Foothill Gold Line project –The Construction Authority will work closely with the City of Claremont on the architectural and aesthetic design for the bridge and abutment walls (Photo: Santa Anita Ave Grade Separation, Arcadia)

Indian Hill Blvd Gate-Down Time Metrolink and freight trains cross Indian Hill Blvd at street level, and will continue to do so even after the Gold Line trains begin operating: –Currently, Metrolink trains cross Indian Hill Blvd. on average every 15 minutes during peak periods and twice an hour during off-peak periods –Freight trains cross Indian Hill Blvd twice a day (once in each direction) –Each time a Metrolink or freight train crosses Indian Hill Blvd, the gates are down for several minutes If built at-grade, Gold Line trains would add minutes of gate-down time every hour on Indian Hill. (Note: This gate-down time is at 10-minute headways. Cumulative gate-down time would increase if Metro increases train frequency in the future)

Benefits of a Separated Crossing Traffic: A grade-separated crossing will allow Gold Line trains to cross Indian Hill Blvd. without the need to stop traffic: –If built as currently approved, the gate-down time for the Gold Line trains would be about minutes every hour, causing about a minute delay for traffic each time a train crosses (cumulative gate down time would increase if train frequency increases in the future) –The Gold Line gate-down time would be in addition to that experienced with Metrolink and freight trains Noise: A grade-separated crossing would not require bells and lights to be activated when a Gold Line train is approaching, reducing potential noise from those warning devices for residential and business neighbors of the intersection

Benefits of a Separated Crossing (cont.) Direct Access to Station from College Ave: A grade-separated crossing would require the Gold Line Station to be moved closer to College Avenue, allowing direct access to the station from both Harvard Avenue and College Avenue Visual: Effects from the station to the plaza of the city’s historic Santa Fe depot would likely be reduced (Approx. station location, with grade separation at Indian Hill Blvd.)

Impacts of a Grade Separated Crossing Short-Term Construction Impacts: Building a grade-separated crossing will likely have short-term construction impacts beyond what would occur for an at-grade crossing Visual/Aesthetic: The visual look of the area would be permanently changed, and some views may be diminished due to the anticipated height of the structure and abutment walls (approximately 30 feet at the tallest). New shadows will be created - In coordination with the city, all potential impacts will be evaluated as part of an addendum to the certified Final Environmental Impact Report

Design to be Decided with City –A grade-separated structure would be approximately 25 feet tall from the ground to the top of rail, providing at least 16.5 feet of clearance under the bridge –Abutment walls, on either side of Indian Hill Blvd., would be built to support the structure. The walls would start approximately 900 feet to the west of Indian Hill Blvd. and 700 feet to the east, gradually getting taller as the walls approach the bridge –At their tallest, the abutment walls will be approximately 30 feet tall If approved, the bridge structure and its associated abutment walls will be concrete, allowing for flexibility of design The Construction Authority will work closely with the city on the aesthetic and architectural design for the bridge and walls:

3-D Visualization – looking south on Indian Hill This is a visualization of the bridge concept, and does not represent a final design

3-D Visualization – looking North on Indian Hill This is a visualization of the bridge concept, and does not represent a final design

Decision-Making Process The Construction Authority board of directors is the decision-making body and is looking for input from the Claremont City Council –If the council decides in favor of the grade-separated crossing, the Construction Authority will evaluate the project change using an addendum to the Final EIR in the next few months and will consider including the overall cost into the project budget –If the council decides against the grade-separated crossing, the project will be designed and built as currently approved; no additional analysis is needed

Example: Santa Anita Ave Grade Separation

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