Nogales Street Set To Be Closed Saturday Morning; Reopens in 2 Years

One of the biggest choke points in eastern Los Angeles County will disappear in two years when a new railroad underpass opens, but as of tomorrow, the major north-south street will be closed until it is finished.

Barricades will go up on Nogales Street between Industry and West Covina at 6 a.m. Saturday.

The closure will last for two years while a $117 million underpass is built below the Alameda Corridor-East railroad tracks.

Fifty-two trains per day cross Nogales Street, delaying many of the 42,680 vehicles that cross the pair of rail tracks there, according to Metro officials. Traffic subsequently backs up onto the Pomona (60) Freeway, just south of the tracks.

During the closure, a temporary railroad-grade crossing will be used as a two-lane local-access detour, one block west of the underpass excavation. But officials said they hope most drivers will steer clear of the area and use Fullerton Road and Fairway Drive as alternate routes.

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported that the closure will block a route between Rowland and Nogales high schools, sister schools that send school buses each way. Bus drivers are being called in a half-hour early starting Monday because of anticipated delays.

The Alameda Corridor-East project is designed to eliminate rail crossings east of Los Angeles. It is similar to the original Alameda Corridor, which converted three separate rail lines south of the Civic Center into one common, subterranean freight rail route.

The project is designed to reduce traffic congestion and remove 221 tons of yearly air pollution from vehicles, by eliminating 22 grade crossings, ACE officials said.

—City News Service