STRATEGIC PLANNING STUDY REPORT FOR METRO GOLD LINE FOOTHILL EXTENSION TO LA/ONTARIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PREPARED FOR Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Funded By San Bernardino Associated Governments and The Southern California Association of Governments December 2008 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Southern California Association of Governments San Bernardino Associated Governments San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Los Angeles World Airports PREPARED BY: KOA Corporation In Association with: STV Incorporated J.L. Patterson & Associates, INC. Consensus Planning Group, Inc. CITYWORKS DESIGN Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension to LA/Ontario International Airport Strategic Planning Study Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... E-1 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................................................. E-1 PLANNING TEAM APPROACH AND PUBLIC OUTREACH .......................................................................................................... E-1 THE ALIGNMENTS ........................................................................................................................................................................ E-2 ADDITIONAL STUDY CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................................................................................... E-3 PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATE .................................................................................................................................................... E-3 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 PURPOSE ...........................................................................................................................................................................................1 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT ...........................................................................................................................1 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY ......................................................................................................................................1 INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF PRELIMINARY ALIGNMENTS ....................................................................................................................2 STUDY PROCESS ...............................................................................................................................................................................2 NEXT STEPS ......................................................................................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 2. STUDY FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY ............................................................. 4 APPROACH .......................................................................................................................................................................................4 COORDINATION WITH METRO GOLD LINE FOOTHILL EXTENSION CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY ......................................4 COORDINATION WITH STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE AND OTHER PUBLIC ENTITIES .................................................................4 PUBLIC INPUT AND CONSENSUS BUILDING PROCESS ..................................................................................................................5 STUDY AREA BOUNDARY ............................................................................................................................................................ 11 PRELIMINARY ALIGNMENT ALTERNATIVE IDENTIFICATION AND REFINEMENT PROCEDURE ................................................. 11 TECHNICAL ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................................... 13 DESCRIPTIONS AND STATEMENT OF OVERALL STUDY FORMALITY ......................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 3. FORMULATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRELIMINARY ALIGNMENT ALTERNATIVES .......................................................................................................................................... 16 STUDY PROCESS ............................................................................................................................................................................ 16 INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF PRELIMINARY ALIGNMENTS ................................................................................................................. 16 DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF 13 ALTERNATIVE ALIGNMENTS ................................................................................... 22 SELECTION FOR 7 VIABLE ALIGNMENTS ...................................................................................................................................... 26 REFINEMENT TO 3 FINAL ALIGNMENTS BY TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE .................................................................... 37 FINAL REVIEW OF ALTERNATIVE ALIGNMENTS BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ..................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 4. REFINED EVALUATION OF THE THREE ALTERNATIVE FINALISTS ................... 42 ALIGNMENT 2A CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ................................................................................................................ 42 ALIGNMENT 2B CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ................................................................................................................ 46 ALIGNMENT 3B CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ................................................................................................................ 49 STATION CONSIDERATIONS ........................................................................................................................................................ 51 PRELIMINARY GOLD LINE SYSTEM RIDERSHIP FORECAST .......................................................................................................... 64 RIDERSHIP PROJECTION METHODOLOGY FROM METRO’S REGIONAL MODEL ....................................................................... 64 AIRPORT PASSENGER RIDERSHIP PROJECTION METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................. 67 PRELIMINARY ALIGNMENT LAYOUT PLAN .................................................................................................................................. 67 PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATE ..................................................................................................................................................... 68 Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension to LA/Ontario International Airport Strategic Planning Study i CHAPTER 5. PUBLIC OUTREACH ......................................................................................................... 82 INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC OUTREACH STRATEGY ................................................................................................................. 82 OUTREACH PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE .................................................................................................................................. 82 COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES ......................................................................................................................................... 84 MEDIA OUTREACH ....................................................................................................................................................................... 87 COMMUNITY FEEDBACK............................................................................................................................................................... 89 SUMMARY OF PUBLIC OUTREACH ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................................ 92 CHAPTER 6. FUTURE ACTION PLANS ................................................................................................ 93 SUBSEQUENT PROJECT ACTIVITIES .............................................................................................................................................. 93 NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO CONDUCT AN AA ................................................................................................................... 93 PURPOSE AND NEEDS STATEMENT .............................................................................................................................................. 94 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................................................................. 94 PUBLIC OUTREACH ....................................................................................................................................................................... 94 DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES ........................................................................................................................................................ 94 DETAILED DEFINITION OF ALTERNATIVES .................................................................................................................................