Former bridge In Arcadia, a steel railroad bridge transitioned the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway between the
I-210 and street grade. This bridge, between Baldwin and Santa Anita, was deemed unsafe following the
1994 Northridge earthquake and removed by
Caltrans. The Phase 2A project constructed the
"Iconic Freeway Structure or Gold Line Bridge" (IFS), as the replacement bridge. Designed by Minnesota artist Andrew Leicester, the bridge was unveiled in December 2012. Leicester's design was chosen from 17 others in a competitive process. The artist worked with L.A. design consultant AECOM as well as the bridge's builder, Skanska USA, on the final design and construction. The woven-basket look of the bridge's support columns emulate the woven baskets of the native
Chumash people of the
San Gabriel Valley while the underside of the bridge evokes a
Western diamondback rattlesnake.
Former service Arcadia train station was added two years after the original the
Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad opened in 1885. The 1887 station was a Queen Anne-style passenger depot on First Avenue. The passenger station was decommissioned in 1951 and relocated in 1970 to the
Fairplex, RailGiants Train Museum that is located inside the
Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in
Pomona. The
rail line was operated by the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (Santa Fe), and served
Amtrak's
Southwest Chief and
Desert Wind, although the latter never stopped at Arcadia. The Santa Fe line served the San Gabriel Valley until 1994, when the
1994 Northridge earthquake weakened the bridge in Arcadia. After the line was decommissioned in 1994, Arcadia became the destination for
Metrolink's
Rose Bowl Game train on New Year's Day. In 1996, a Sprinter was run from Arcadia to Monrovia. For an unknown period of time, the station was the home of a private railcar called the
Pine Bluff until its purchase in the mid-2000s. Arcadia train station should not be confused with the Lucky Baldwin's
Santa Anita Depot that was a freight depot at Santa Anita Avenue and
Colorado Boulevard and moved to the
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in 1970. The station was formally dedicated in a ceremony held on August 22, 2015. Regular light rail service to the station began on March 5, 2016. == Service ==