Ontario
In mid-February the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), approved a study to consider all-rail alternative transportation options to the Ontario Airport and identify one of them as the preferred option. Currently, Omnitrans is the only non-automobile option into the airport and the three million-dollar study should provide reasonable alternatives to this dilemma. The study should not only provide sensible options but also recommendations regarding how to pay for them. In the meantime, a funding and development process to extend the Gold Line six miles to the Ontario Airport, remains in dispute. In recent weeks, The IE Voice/Black Voice News has reported on the ongoing disagreement between Darcy McNaboe, SBCTA President and California Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena regarding how to move forward on this issue. In late January Holden presented AB 2011 which called for the creation of the West San Bernardino County Rail Construction Authority to design and implement the extension. However, McNaboe pushed back against this approach and last week, the SBCTA Policy Committee made it clear it concurs with McNaboe and formally opposed the legislation. The project is expected to cost nearly two billion dollars and the committee expressed concern AB 2011 does not address the issue of funding. This is significant for San Bernardino, because once the Gold Line crosses into San Bernardino County it will be left to local taxpayers to pay for it. It now rests with the SBCTA Board to weigh in on this issue.
