Amtrak Station to Burbank Airport Bridge Funded

[leemell]

From the Burbank Airport Newsletter:

:

"Funding Sources Announced for Bridge Between Airport and Bob Hope Airport Train Station
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has announced that Metro and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will provide funding for a $14 million pedestrian bridge over Empire Avenue connecting the Bob Hope Airport Train Station and the Airport's new Regional Intermodal Transportation Center (RITC). The station is served both by Metrolink and Amtrak.

"We have a true, true flawless plane to train connection with this project," Don Sepulveda, executive officer of regional rail for Metro, told the Airport Authority in January. Sepulveda applauded the Airport for coming up with the concept during the environmental review for the RITC. "This is the future, in my view, of how true commuter rail and intercity rail plane-train connections should be," he said.

The funding consists of a $7 million grant expected to be approved in March by Caltrans, and matching funds from Metro. Engineering work could start later this year, Sepulveda said. The RITC opens this summer. Initial access to and from the station will be via a pedestrian street crossing."

 

[the_traveler]

I've never been there (the airport) but I know how close it is to the station. It sound similar to what they did between TF Green (PVD airport) and the airport train station (not currently served by Amtrak, just MBTA) - only 1/4 mile apart. They are connected by an elevated covered walkway.

 

[Nathanael]

Good bridge. I do find myself wondering how a pedestrian bridge costs $14 million dollars. Even with two sets of elevators (south platform and north platform -- I'm presuming the RITC has its own elevators already). I suppose building over an active railroad line and an active roadway does make things more difficult.

Worth noting: the RITC is the rental car center for Burbank Airport. This may become the most convenient place to rent a car if arriving in LA by train.

As for airport connections... it'll have a 1200 ft. elevated, enclosed moving walkway to the current terminal. But they're planning to replace and relocate the airport terminal, at which point, according to current siteplans, the RITC won't be connected to the airport. ;-) Sigh.

 

[XHRTSP]

The same thing exist at Prestwick Airport in Scotland. That and RyanAir helps them compete with Glasgow Airport just to the north.

 

[trainman74]

Not that it explains the entire $14 million, but they'll either need to extend the train station platforms or build the pedestrian bridge on a diagonal -- I suspect the former.

 

[George Harris]

Good bridge. I do find myself wondering how a pedestrian bridge costs $14 million dollars. Even with two sets of elevators (south platform and north platform -- I'm presuming the RITC has its own elevators already). I suppose building over an active railroad line and an active roadway does make things more difficult.

It's in California.

 

[leemell]

The bridge will extend from the extreme southwest corner of the RITC straight across to the rail station. A not very good picture here.

 

[seat38a]

Good bridge. I do find myself wondering how a pedestrian bridge costs $14 million dollars. Even with two sets of elevators (south platform and north platform -- I'm presuming the RITC has its own elevators already). I suppose building over an active railroad line and an active roadway does make things more difficult.

It's in California.

Yes, we probably have to do an "Air Quality Study" plus do a study on how it will affect the habitat of some rare bacterial species that only lives on the platform. Then don't forget the lawsuits for I'm sure for something.

 

[Nathanael]

The studies are done, this is just $14 million for *construction*. So no, that's not the reason.

I suspect the cost of flagging around the active railroad line may be very high. And there may be platform extensions involved. I have noticed that construction companies dislike working in a constrained space, and prices get much higher than if they have a clear lot to work on.

 

[trainman74]

The bridge will extend from the extreme southwest corner of the RITC straight across to the rail station. A not very good picture here.

And now that I eyeballed it again on the way to work today, this looks like it would work. (I can even see the "opening" on the under-construction RITC where that end of the bridge will be.)

But I realized there's another issue: overhead utility lines on the south side of Empire Avenue that will need to be relocated in some manner.

Hopefully the $14 million also includes some "cleanup" and landscaping of the area immediately around the train station, e.g., the area east of the platforms that used to be used for parking, which has been closed off for some time.

 

[cirdan]

The studies are done, this is just $14 million for *construction*. So no, that's not the reason.

I suspect the cost of flagging around the active railroad line may be very high. And there may be platform extensions involved. I have noticed that construction companies dislike working in a constrained space, and prices get much higher than if they have a clear lot to work on.

Plus the cost of doing anything in or near an airport is high.