Alhambra hosts 710 forum to `get the correct information out there'
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_22056690/alhambra-hosts-710-forum-get-corrBy
ect-information-out
Posted:
11/23/2012 08:28:21 PM PST
Updated:
11/23/2012 09:16:31 PM PST
ALHAMBRA -
Representatives from local transportation agencies attended a City
Council meeting this week to answer questions and inform residents of
the status of the environmental study for the 710 North Gap Closure
Project.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is in the first
phase of a three year Environmental Impact Report and is studying five
final options to close the 4.5-mile gap from El Sereno and Pasadena: "No
build," traffic management solutions, bus, light rail and a dual-bore
underground freeway tunnel.
At the meeting, Metro's director of the highway program Doug
Failing and Southern California Association of Governments Executive
Director Hasan Ikhrata explained the final five options and answered
questions about the movement of goods and the costs of building a
tunnel.
Failing said Metro will host a series of public meetings in
January to present the results of the "Alternatives Analysis" phase of
the EIR, which will be completed in December. But, he said, attending
local city council meetings is also an important part of Metro's public
outreach process.
"We can't just sit back and deliver information on our
schedule," Failing said. "All these councils also have needs for
information as well and doing it at that local level it puts the city in
control so the city gets to ask the questions that are really more
important to them, as opposed to general questions about the corridor."
Alhambra Mayor Barbara Messina said she asked
Ikhrata and Failing to come to the meeting to dispel what she says are
rumors and misinformation surrounding the project.
Freeway fighters have expressed concern that Metro is not
seriously considering options other than the freeway tunnel, which they
fear will be a source of truck congestion and air pollution in the
cities that line the route.
"My whole purpose was to get correct information out there,
everything that I've been hearing like `oh, we are going to have all
this pollution' ... but that's not true. ... And the cost, its not going
to be as high as $20 billion as people say," Messina said. "I just
think they don't want to hear the truth, they talk amongst themselves
and this is what they tell other people ... so it's time to get the
correct information out there now."
Councilman Gary Yamauchi
said the meeting was also an important step to revitalizing the pro-710
movement, whose members may have grown tired after a half-century of
fighting.
"The meeting was very well attended and this is the main thing
we need, bringing those people who are pro-freeway to begin to show up;
they have kind of gotten tired of showing up because this has been
going on for many years," Yamauchi said. "And now we're closer than
we've ever been and we have the political support now and we have to go
back and regroup our community in support of the freeway."
Messina said the city will continue to host meetings to update
the public on the 710 study as it proceeds. The final EIR will be
completed in 2014.
For more information on the study, visit www.metro.net/projects/sr-710-conversations.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is in the first phase of a three year Environmental Impact Report and is studying five final options to close the 4.5-mile gap from El Sereno and Pasadena: "No build," traffic management solutions, bus, light rail and a dual-bore underground freeway tunnel.
At the meeting, Metro's director of the highway program Doug Failing and Southern California Association of Governments Executive Director Hasan Ikhrata explained the final five options and answered questions about the movement of goods and the costs of building a tunnel.
Failing said Metro will host a series of public meetings in January to present the results of the "Alternatives Analysis" phase of the EIR, which will be completed in December. But, he said, attending local city council meetings is also an important part of Metro's public outreach process.
"We can't just sit back and deliver information on our schedule," Failing said. "All these councils also have needs for information as well and doing it at that local level it puts the city in control so the city gets to ask the questions that are really more important to them, as opposed to general questions about the corridor."
Alhambra Mayor Barbara Messina said she asked Ikhrata and Failing to come to the meeting to dispel what she says are rumors and misinformation surrounding the project.
Freeway fighters have expressed concern that Metro is not seriously considering options other than the freeway tunnel, which they fear will be a source of truck congestion and air pollution in the cities that line the route.
"My whole purpose was to get correct information out there, everything that I've been hearing like `oh, we are going to have all this pollution' ... but that's not true. ... And the cost, its not going to be as high as $20 billion as people say," Messina said. "I just think they don't want to hear the truth, they talk amongst themselves and this is what they tell other people ... so it's time to get the correct information out there now."
Councilman Gary Yamauchi said the meeting was also an important step to revitalizing the pro-710 movement, whose members may have grown tired after a half-century of fighting.
"The meeting was very well attended and this is the main thing we need, bringing those people who are pro-freeway to begin to show up; they have kind of gotten tired of showing up because this has been going on for many years," Yamauchi said. "And now we're closer than we've ever been and we have the political support now and we have to go back and regroup our community in support of the freeway."
Messina said the city will continue to host meetings to update the public on the 710 study as it proceeds. The final EIR will be completed in 2014.
For more information on the study, visit www.metro.net/projects/sr-710-conversations.