Politics & Government

Updated: Metro Gate Arms Functioning Again

The problems started Thursday and intermittently backed up traffic at various points around the city, causing motorists to make U-turns and zig zag around town.

Updated 10:25 a.m.: Metro gate arms around train crossings in South Pasadena have been restored to normal operation, according to South Pasadena Police. Still awaiting word of what caused the malfunctions. 

Earlier: The Metro gate arms are still malfunctioning at many crossings in South Pasadena, South Pasadena Police said Friday morning.

Presently, the crossings at Mission and Meridian, Orange Grove, Indiana and Pasadena and Monterey are affected, causing motorists to experience extended wait times for the gate arms to raise.

Find out what's happening in South Pasadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Metro is on scene and repairing circuit boards, but the restoration time is still unknown. Authorities recommend avoiding those crossings if at all possible.

On Thursday, motorists waited up to half and hour at some locations. MTA officials said it was a "minor'' signal problem and delayed trains between South Pasadena and Highland Park by seven to eight minutes. 

Find out what's happening in South Pasadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Dave Sotero, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said Friday the problems started at 8:54 a.m. in South Pasadena and extended down to Figueroa and Avenue 59. Gold line trains are delayed eight to nine minutes. 

"We're working on the problem,'' he said, noting MTA workers are manually raising gate arms at affected intersections.

When asked what appears to be causing the problem, Sotero said officials do not yet know. 

Sotero pointed out you can look for alerts for transit problems on the Metro.net website and follow MTA on Twitter @metrolaalerts.

Check back with Patch as we continue to report on this story.


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