Palomares Bolevard and The Pacific Electric Trail, Pomona
Palomares Bolevard and The Pacific Electric Trail, Pomona
Mechanically-Stabilized-Earth (MSE) Flyover-bridges are built (as a cheaper alternative to undergrounding) for trains at major arterial crossings. These uninterrupted crossings are essential for schedule reliability and on-time performance (OTP); however, they realize as massive barriers in the community, spanning hundreds of feet and rising to over 30 feet tall. Currently, the design of these bridges and rail-environments serve more to cars than to the priorities and interests of the community. At the very least, the pedestrian infrastructure surrounding the bridges/stations should receive proportional enhancements. An intervention that is interested in urban enhancement would address local issues of safety, convenience, comfort, and accessibility. At the Garey crossing, a bridge intervention is an opportunity to improve the area’s connection to the station; with excess right-of-way, there is an opportunity for this area to be used as a pedestrian corridor. A transition away from car dependency is already underway: a station’s access through pedestrian modes: bike, walk, scooter, etcetera, should be a high priority.
The project proposes a pedestrian boulevard and a shared-use trail in the right-of-way area of the railway (between Metrolink and Goldline tracks). A boulevard would connect Pomona station to Palmares park and adjacent communities, north and south. A trail would connect to the Pacific Electric Trail which currently ends in Claremont and is part of Bike Route 66. With ample right-of-way space between tracks, used for parking, a boulevard/trail is feasible and logical. A pedestrian corridor would significantly increase the station’s accessibility and connection to the neighborhood. A safe corridor would enable and empower residents to commute by bike (and other modes) rather than by car. A transition away from cars is already underway, hence Measure M; Thus, a pedestrian corridor in this area is more productive than a small number of parking spots (tuecked between the tracks). Pomona station is predicted to have almost 6,000 riders per day in 2035 (the highest ridership out of all nearby stations). This ridership justifies around 7520 sq of commercial space and certainly justifies new/improved pedestrian infrastructure to make the station more accessible. For the immediate site, Garey Avenue Gold Line Flyover Bridge, a program and landscape strategy was instructed by issues of scale, noise, safety, shading, and comfort. Formally, the proposed buildings take a tectonic approach to break down the scale of the large bridge while maintaining a high degree of visibility. A comprehensive noise barrier strategy has been designed to dampen train noise. Layers of gabion walls, trees, shrubs, and soft-scapes will block out unpleasant train horns and wind gusts. The program has been curated for the local community while also anticipating increased ridership and passers-by (along Palomares Boulevard, Pacifi c Electric Trail, and Bike Route 66). West of Garey, in route to the station, a marketplace and general store would serve as a convenient location to provide fresh food and produce to commuters, and the community. The experience of this area should be lively and receive waves of pedestrian traffic that flow through the marketplace. East of Garey is connected via a Shibuya Crossing, a large crosswalk that takes over the whole right of way. Lower-density programming has been developed for this side, as there will be less traffic. These programs include a small ceramics studio (AMOCA affiliated), a CPP food science affiliated bakery, a local cyklery, a sit-down restaurant, and a larger multipurpose studio. The experience of this eastern segment would be everchanging with its flows of riders/trains and daylighting; The businesses would receive unique daylighting through the rubble-filled gabion walls. Garey avenue should receive a similar shading, safety, and comfort strategy: tree-shading, benches, and protected crosswalks should be instituted. Additionally, all roads which connect to stations should receive a higher degree of protection for bikers/ commuters. On Garey, there is ample room to add a median with trees to separate car and bike lanes. This proposal is interested in the area’s overall pedestrian interconnectedness and the overall transition away from car dependency, to more comfortable and sustainable mobility.