Foothill Gold Line Azusa Downtown Station & APU/Citrus College Station Dedicated Today at Ceremony

AZUSA, Calif., Sept. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (Construction Authority) today held a dedication ceremony for both Foothill Gold Line Azusa Stations – Azusa Downtown Station and APU/Citrus College Station – as they concluded a series of ceremonies with the corridor cities to celebrate the new light rail stations and the upcoming substantial completion for the entire $1 billion, six-station Foothill Gold Line light rail project. With two stations being dedicated at today's event, attendance was diverse and large, with elected officials at all levels of government, transportation officials, higher education officials, foreign dignitaries and close to one thousand community stakeholders attending. 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 2016. An opening date has not yet been determined.

"When this phase of the Foothill Gold Line opens next year, thousands of riders will be able to travel between the San Gabriel Valley and Downtown Los Angeles without a car," said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Director Eric Garcetti. "This new transportation option will relieve traffic, improve mobility and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is a smart investment in our region's sustainable future."

In attendance to dedicate the two recently completed stations were dozens of elected officials. Speakers included U.S. Representatives Grace Napolitano and Judy Chu; Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Second Vice Chair Eric Garcetti; Los Angeles County Supervisors and Metro Board Members Hilda Solis and Michael Antonovich; State Senator Dr. Ed Hernandez and State Assembly member Roger Hernandez; Metro Board First Vice Chair and Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority Board Member, Duarte City Councilman John Fasana; and Metro Board Member and Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian. Foothill Gold Line CEO Habib F. Balian and Metro CEO Phil Washington both participated, along with Citrus College Superintendent/President Dr. Geraldine Perri and Azusa Pacific University Vice President Emeritus Cliff Hamlow. All spoke at the historic occasion. Azusa Mayor Joseph Rocha welcomed everyone to the dedication, and KNX 1070 Newsradio host Frank Mottek served as the event's emcee.

"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."

The Azusa Downtown Station is located on Alameda Avenue, just north of Foothill Boulevard, in the heart of downtown Azusa. The station was fully revealed to the public for the first time at the dedication and features unique artwork created by public artist Jose Antonio Aguirre. Titled "A Passage Through Memory," the station artwork is inspired by the tribal and architectural history of the region. The platform ramps on both station platforms feature 16-foot-tall arched portal structures that serve as gateways to and from Azusa for future riders. The concrete arched section of the portal is styled after the early California Spanish colonial missions, while the metal 'crown' that sits atop and casts a glowing "AZUSA" sign at night is inspired by the original "AZUSA" sign created in 1923. And encircling every column base on the station platforms are mosaic tile art pieces, whose designs are inspired by the basket weavings of the Native American Gabrielino tribes of the San Gabriel Valley.

The APU/Citrus College Station is the temporary terminus of the Gold Line. It is located just north of Foothill Boulevard and west of Citrus Avenue, adjacent to two higher education campuses: Azusa Pacific University and Citrus College. The station features unique artwork created by public artist Lynn Goodpasture, titled "Azusa Horticultural Paradise," that pays homage to the area's natural heritage and the individuals who shaped and transformed the landscape over time. Four custom-cast, mosaic-tiled benches on the platform feature designs of natural landscape elements that were either native to the area or were introduced by past pioneers: the oranges and honey bees; the Western Sycamore, an indigenous tree; Wild Hyacinths, a once-prolific wild flower; and Rosedale's Beauty, one of the most popular camellia flowers propagated during the 1950s. The ticket vending machine canopy features hand-painted glass art panels with designs based on the California Fan Palms that were thought to have been introduced in 1899.

For more information on and images of the station, station art and today's dedication, please visit http://www.foothillgoldline.org/news/media-resources/.

About the Foothill Gold Line – The Foothill Gold Line is a nearly $2 billion, 12-station extension of the Metro Gold Line light rail system, being overseen by the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority, an independent transportation planning and construction agency created in 1998 by the California State Legislature. The project is planned in two segments – Pasadena to Azusa and Azusa to Montclair. The Pasadena to Azusa segment is fully funded by Los Angeles County's Measure R and is on budget and on schedule to be substantially complete in late-September 2015 when it will be turned over to Metro for pre-revenue service. Metro anticipates starting passenger service in 2016; a date for service to begin has not been determined.  Measure R is funding the majority of the cost associated with the advanced engineering and environmental work currently underway for the Azusa to Montclair segment, which will ready the project for a design-build procurement in 2017. The Construction Authority is currently seeking the $1 billion needed to construct the Azusa to Montclair segment.

SOURCE Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority