SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Fence Installation Starts on Part of Metrolink Route
After a three-month delay, workers have begun installing fences and warning signs and digging ditches along a two-mile stretch of Metrolink tracks in Sylmar, Pacoima and San Fernando in response to a series of rail deaths in the northeast San Fernando Valley.
The $863,000 pilot project, postponed because of community meetings and bureaucratic requirements, is scheduled for completion by November, county transportation officials said Wednesday.
Nine deaths have occurred on Metrolink tracks since the commuter trains began rolling in October--five along a nine-mile stretch between Sylmar and Pacoima on the line from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Clarita.
The project includes fences that range in height from four feet around pedestrian crossings to 12 feet between the tracks and San Fernando Middle School, where there were concerns over student safety.
In addition to the nearly 4,000 yards of wrought iron and chain-link fence, the project includes erection of 60 bilingual “No Trespassing” signs and 16 gates.
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