Foothill authority breaks ground on L.A. Metro Gold Line extension to Montclair

The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority on Saturday held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $1.5 billion light-rail extension between Glendora and Montclair, California.

The 12.3-mile line will be an extension of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) Gold Line light-rail route.

The ceremony marked the start of construction on the first rail project funded by the Measure M half-cent transportation tax, which voters approved in November 2016.

The first three years of the project will involve relocating utilities, hiring a design-build team and finalizing engineering plans, construction authority officials said in a press release. Major construction is slated to be completed in 2026, with the extension opening in 2027.

The Glendora-Montclair segment is the third and final phase of Metro's Gold Line extension. The first phase connecting downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena, California, was completed in 2003, while the second phase between Pasadena and Azusa opened in March 2016.

The final segment will include six stations.