Alhambra supports controversial freeway tunnel (and comments to the article)
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-alhambra-supports-controversial-freeway-tunnel-20130519,0,4318056.story
By Daniel Siegal, May 19, 2013
Signs opposing the 710 Freeway being built on Ave. 64 were placed at the corner of Church St. and Ave. 64 last summer in Pasadena.
The city of Alhambra last week reaffirmed its support for a controversial tunnel that would connect the 710 and 210 freeways, proclaiming July 10 as “710 Day” in the city.
“We as a city want to raise awareness that now is the time [the 710 freeway] can be completed,” Alhambra Mayor Steve Placido said at a news conference at City Hall Tuesday.
Extending the 710 Freeway from its terminus in Alhambra via a tunnel to the 210 Freeway in Pasadena has for years faced strong opposition from politically powerful neighborhoods and elected officials.
Officials in Glendale, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, La CaƱada Flintridge and Los Angeles have all issued public statements opposing the 710 Freeway extension, as well as state and federal representatives. Opponents argue the connection would bring a deluge of big-rig traffic, noise and air pollution.
Combined with an active coalition of residents opposed to the proposal — the No 710 Action Committee — the public argument in favor of a tunnel has hardly registered.
The Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority is currently conducting an environmental study of five options for reducing congestion in the 710 gap, which in addition to the tunnel, include light rail and bus transit. A first draft of the study is expected to be completed in 2014.
Alhambra has long supported extending the 710 Freeway from its terminus, where vehicles currently spill out onto city streets in an effort to follow myriad urban paths to other freeways.
Placido said the city was stepping forward now because the financial commitment was there for a full environmental study of the options through Measure R — the half-cent sales tax for transportation projects approved by county voters in 2008. The review also has the backing of the MTA and the California Department of Transportation.
Placido said plans for “710 Day” were “up in the air” at this point but that officials were considering a street fair and other public-outreach efforts.
MTA spokeswoman Helen Ortiz-Gilstrap said the agency welcomed input from Alhambra and other communities that will potentially be affected by the project “because it is a regional problem.”
Also attending the announcement on Tuesday were about a dozen tunnel opponents and members of the No 710 Action Committee.
Among them was Alhambra resident Melissa Michelson, who said she was disappointed to see her city focusing on the freeway option and not public transit.
“I still don’t understand why they want to have this freeway … just to close the gap,” she said. “For me, that’s not a good enough reason."
Comments to the article:
Res Ipsa Loquiter at 9:41 PM May 19, 2013
Alhambra doesn't care where the freeway goes, as long as it
dumps the traffic onto its neighboring communities. Only a handful of
people showed for this "event." It was done just so sleezy Alhambra
politicians could get media face time.

imhurt at 8:29 PM May 19, 2013
Finish the freeway NOW!

buclon at 8:24 PM May 19, 2013
Simple, when the tunnel is completed...............no big rigs allowed or hefty fines.

LysetteOne at 8:23 PM May 19, 2013
Alhambra is not overrun with traffic. I used to live there.
Alhambra is doing fine. Show anyone on the west side Alhambra's
traffic woes and they would laugh at the crybabies talking about it with
such exageration. It's a few cars twice a day. Gives us all a break.
I also used to live in South Pasadena too and am absolutely against a
freeway obilterating that community. The 710 debate goes on and on when
the answer has been obvious for decades. No 710 freeway extension. And
the way CalTrans has all those properties in South Pas tied up for
decades sitting vacant is criminal. This whole discussion is just
ignorant. The answer is NO. Move along.

mg6ninety at 7:16 PM May 19, 2013
This project should have been done 40 years ago. The rich
shut it down. However the 105 freeway cut through poor neighborhoods and
it was easily approved.
Two Americas, rich and the rest of us.
Two Americas, rich and the rest of us.

raschumacher at 7:13 PM May 19, 2013
A tunnel is the best way to uncork this decades-old
bottleneck. By all means, NUMBYS, keep talking about the notion that an
underground facility would bisect South Pasadena; it makes you sound
hysterically silly.

captscurvy1 at 5:07 PM May 19, 2013
this is simply another boondoggle. go ahead - ruin your
neighborhoods with smog and the sound of more traffic so dbag
contractors can get rich!

Hank Starr at 4:41 PM May 19, 2013
It's unfair how Alhambra has to deal with all the big rigs,
cars and traffic that spill over onto its streets at the terminus of the
710 at Valley. Every other city these freeways have carved through had
to sacrifice a part of their neighborhoods in the spirit of less
congestion except South Pasadena. They don't want to sacrifice an inch
instead they want everyone else be burdened with the freeway system.

Joe B at 4:40 PM May 19, 2013
Build it. Build it now.

Warren at 4:35 PM May 19, 2013
Because South Pasadena was able to get a no build law passed
in the city the tunnel is the most logical alternative. Now South
Pasadena will fight this tunnel too if Cal Trans build under the city.
Building the freeway street level straight down the middle of South
Pasadena would be the best solution to the problem.

LisaPelos at 4:24 PM May 19, 2013
Looks like another case of transportation racism.

jbh-1957 at 4:09 PM May 19, 2013
But if we connect the two freeways, thousands of cars won't
be able to idle their way through South Pasadena during morning and
evening rush hour.

Bull Moose Progressive at 3:44 PM May 19, 2013
For many years this connection has been denied to the
growing population in Los Angeles County. Population growth and vehicle
growth on the road come hand in hand. With vehicle growth comes more
traffic on both local streets and freeways both contributing to the ever
growing carbon footprint in our state. The 710 connection will help in
someway to reduce the emmisions from vehicles stuck in gridlock. If
vehicles are moving, flowing people will get to their destination
somewhat quicker lowering emmisions. I disagree with the community of
Pasadenas argument in opposition to extending the 710. This is a time
where our state should step in use eminent domain and enforce the 710
extension. Pasadena must have an equal share of commuter responsibility
and reducing carbon footprint, not just for the surrounding communities
of LA COUNTY but the State of California.
We have now passed the threshold for political gridlock on the 710 extension, it is time to do what is right. It would be better if the 710 extension were put to a vote in Los Angeles County this way we can see just how many other communities disagree with Pasadena. 710 belongs to all people in California, overwhelming it takes one community to stop progress. Time to put 710 extension on the ballot.
We have now passed the threshold for political gridlock on the 710 extension, it is time to do what is right. It would be better if the 710 extension were put to a vote in Los Angeles County this way we can see just how many other communities disagree with Pasadena. 710 belongs to all people in California, overwhelming it takes one community to stop progress. Time to put 710 extension on the ballot.

areeda1 at 3:29 PM May 19, 2013
I look forward to completion of the 710. It will make the north south transition of the area much better.
I would think it will decrease traffic on the surface streets considerably.
I would think it will decrease traffic on the surface streets considerably.

jackalope66 at 3:24 PM May 19, 2013
For some reason Caltrans is OK with the "2 Gap" between the
101 and the 210. This would also be a great way for trucks to get from
San Pedro. If the problem is moving people, then it should be light
rail / subway.

thehouseofg at 3:11 PM May 19, 2013
710 fwy completion is a HUGE waste of public funding &
tax dollars ... Cal-Trans & the MTA are corrupt self-serving out of
control Government agencies that continue to mis-manage tax revenues
& continue to mis-appropriate public funds... & BTW recent
scientific environmental findings have concluded major health hazards
from automotive and diesel trucking exhaust and this proposal will
further poison & harm Alhambra, CSULA, Lincoln Heights, Highland
Park, El Sereno, & South Pasadena populations with increased daily
permanent damaging air quality ... THIS IS TRUELY A FREAKING STUPID
OUTDATED IDEA