By Jason Kurosu, December 25, 2014
The proposed 710 Freeway extension is
currently undergoing a review of the five proposed alternatives: a
freeway tunnel, bus rapid transit, light rail transit, transportation
system management/transportation demand management and a no build
option.
With just over a month until the release of
the draft environmental impact report/draft environmental impact
statement (EIR/EIS), groups opposed to the possibility of a freeway
tunnel continue to seek alternatives to what some view as a foregone
conclusion.
“The DEIR is expected to be over 50
comprehensive studies and upward of 10,000 pages in length,” said Bolan.
“We have no doubt that there will be many studies to pore through.”
The No 710 Action committee has circulated a
petition on its website, no710.com, supporting “a multi-modal approach
that may include implementation of Transportation System
Management/Transportation Demand Management (TSM/TDM), Bus Rapid Transit
and Light Rail individually or in combination, but does not include a
surface freeway or tunnel connecting the 710 and 210 Freeways.”
This multi-modal solution would be “a
comprehensive plan that has a combination of local street repairs,
signal synchronization, grade separations between street and rail,
walkability, bike paths, busways and light rail,” said Bolan, who
emphasized that the approach should be environmentally sound. “All of it
green. Not a tunnel which moves back to 20th century, build-it-at-any
cost mentality, which will increase traffic and, hence, pollution.”
When the petition is signed online, various
members of the political and transportation communities in the state
are messaged including the governor, members of Metro, Caltrans and the
California Transportation Commission.
Bolan compared concerns over the tunnel to
the issues associated with the two-mile long Alaskan Way Viaduct Tunnel
in Seattle, the construction of which has been delayed since 2013 due to
mechanical failures.
“We are watching the lack of progress with
the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Tunnel as Metro/Caltrans have used
this tunnel for cost and logistics comparisons. The diameter is
comparable to the 710 tunnel, which makes it the largest roadway tunnel
ever attempted in the U.S.,” she said.
Expectations for the stacked tunnels are a length of 4.9 miles.
A number of bodies within the 5-Cities
Alliance have publicly opposed the tunnel plans, including the Glendale
City Council and the Crescenta Valley Town Council.
“The City of Glendale is committed to
providing useful, factual and relevant information regarding any
proposal related to the 710 extension, as evidenced by our participation
in the 5-Cities Alliance,” said Glendale City Council member Paula
Devine, who requested that the council discuss utilizing city resources
for advocacy in the opposition effort.
“We have given our support to the 5-Cities
Alliance and have asked that Metro look to alternative transportation
ideas and stop the 710 tunnel,” said Crescenta Valley Town Council
President Robbyn Battles, who said CVTC will address the issue when the
draft EIR is released.
Bolan said that the No 710 Action Committee
is prepared to respond to the draft EIR upon release, a response that
will address various environmental and traffic related issues.