Eminent Domain Report

At some time or another, most of us have experienced sitting in our cars at a railroad crossing waiting for what seems like the longest freight train in the world go by. And it always seems to happen when you’re late for an appointment or for once trying to make it home in time for dinner.  If you live or work in the San Gabriel Valley, sitting in traffic waiting for the freight-train to go by is likely a daily occurrence.

With vehicle and rail traffic projected to increase, in 1998, the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCG) decided to do something about the safety and traffic ...

According to the Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority's ("ACE") Spring Newsletter (which was published yesterday), ACE plans to start construction of three major grade separation projects this year.  The three projects include:

• The Baldwin Avenue grade separation project in El Monte, which involves creating a roadway underpass beneath the Union Pacific Railroad tracks at the Baldwin Avenue crossing;
• The Nogales Street grade separation project in the City of Industry, which involves lowering Nogales Street 20 feet below the railroad tracks; and
• The San Gabriel ...

The Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority ("ACE") is working on a $75 million project to improve rail service in the San Gabriel Valley.  The project involves constructing a rail underpass on Baldwin Avenue in El Monte, and it is part of a larger, $1.1 billion project that includes 20 grade separations.   

ACE has acquired nearly all of the right of way for the Baldwin Avenue underpass, but one owner, Fred Jast, has not moved.  According to a recent San Gabriel Valley Tribune article by Rebecca Kimitch, "El Monte man fights eminent domain claim," Mr. Jast has been fighting with ACE for several years ...