Commission approves Olympic Boulevard closure to speed Montebello grade-separation work; temporary stop sign ordered at Greenwood and Truckway

The Montebello Traffic and Safety Commission on June 30 approved a request from the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments to close Olympic Boulevard at Montebello Boulevard during construction of a new underpass and to install a temporary stop sign at Greenwood Avenue and Truckway.

San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments civil engineer Carrie Inseong told commissioners the project will build an underpass so Montebello Boulevard passes beneath the Union Pacific tracks and Olympic Boulevard, realign Roosevelt Avenue, add a bike lane, sidewalks and a pump station, and upgrade crossings at Greenwood, Maple and Vail. Inseong said closing Olympic for construction would reduce the work from about 29 months to about 23 months, allowing the corridor to reopen roughly six months sooner.

"If we don't close Olympic Boulevard...construction to take 29 months. If we are able to close Olympic to build the bridge, we expect construction to take 23 months," Inseong said during the presentation. She also told the commission the project is intended to eliminate the possibility of train–vehicle and train–pedestrian collisions at the corridor; she cited Federal Railroad Administration records showing multiple recorded fatalities at the crossing.

The closure footprint presented to the commission would keep local driveway access where possible but divert through traffic to Whittier Boulevard; truck access to businesses east of Montebello would be directed to Fourth Street between Olympic and Whittier. Inseong said a one‑week truck count showed an average of about 11 truck movements per day across six business addresses in the immediate triangle of Olympic, Montebello and the railroad tracks.

Inseong and San Gabriel Valley COG community liaison Maria Cano described planned outreach including door‑to‑door flyers, attendance at community events and coordination with city departments, police and fire. Cano said the construction team will provide timely notices, hand out water during outages and maintain a community presence during the closure. The presenters said the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has been involved in reviewing the temporary stop‑sign measure at Greenwood and Truckway.

Commissioner Hernandez moved to approve the closure and the related traffic measures; Commissioner Takayama seconded. The motion passed on a roll call vote recorded as yes from Commissioner Takayama, Commissioner Hernandez and Chair Bass.

City staff and the presenters said work to install retaining walls and temporary railroad track alignments is already under way and that the construction authority will stage heavy equipment and drilling in the narrow area between the tracks and Olympic. Officials said the closure is expected to begin as soon as September, subject to final scheduling and coordination with city enforcement and signage plans.

The commission’s approval covers the requested closure footprint, the temporary Greenwood/Truckway stop sign and the limited temporary use of Fourth Street for truck access to businesses. Future steps include continuing community outreach, coordinating enforcement and signage with police and public works, and returning to the commission if additional traffic controls become necessary.

Evidence from the meeting: commissioners approved the closure motion after the San Gabriel Valley COG presentation; staff and COG representatives described outreach, truck counts and safety features planned for Greenwood, Maple and Vail. The commission recorded the approval vote and closed the item.