Foothill Gold Line extension hits major milestone

AZUSA, Calif. (KABC) -- A final swing into the last e-clip connecting the tracks during a Saturday ceremony marked a major milestone for the Foothill Gold Line between Pasadena and Azusa.

"What it means is we're ever closer to finishing the Gold Line up until Azusa," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena. "We want to keep going until it goes to Claremont and the Ontario airport."

The track extension - set to open Sept. 2015 - stretches over 11.5 miles and 12 stations of the Metro Gold Line. The entire project cost about $2 billion.

Saturday's ceremony, held near the future Azusa Downtown Station, solidified the connection between Pasadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale and Azusa.

The next leg of the extension from Azusa to Montclair is in the planning stages and scheduled to be shovel-ready in 2017.