Posted by Robin Goldsworthy, December 4, 2014
Two major transportation issues have the
potential to cause negative changes for the Crescenta Valley. As anyone
who has lived in the area for any length of time knows, there is
tremendous pressure to extend the 710 Freeway from its current end in
Alhambra to connect to the Foothill (210) Freeway. International
corporate interests and others who would profit from a huge construction
project have used the legitimate need to reduce traffic congestion to
convince Caltrans and Metro that a tunnel is the best answer.
There are many flaws with this
reasoning. The tunnel would need to be nearly five miles long, the
longest in the U.S. The only other tunnel of similar large diameter, the
Alaskan Way Tunnel in Seattle, has run into problems and cost overruns
and is currently halted. Any link-up with the 210 would result in
increased traffic, particularly trucks carrying freight, and generate
much more noise, particulate matter air pollution, and danger of
accidents in our valley. And it is unlikely to solve the problem.
Studies of recently completed freeway widening projects indicate little
relief of traffic congestion. Demand simply increases to fill any added
capacity.
Caltrans and Metro continue to spend
scarce transportation funding on the potential tunnel while ignoring the
benefits of faster, less expensive and more readily implemented
solutions such as increased light rail and bus service and changes in
the configuration of the end of the 710 and surrounding surface streets.
Our tax money could be better spent and generate faster results.
The Stopthe710 Yahoo group, No710.com,
or the No 710 Extension group Facebook page all have details, links to
documents and further background on how bad this tunnel idea really is.
The Draft Environmental Impact Report
on the project is scheduled to be released in February 2015 and an
alliance of five cities opposed to the push for a tunnel have joined
together to share responsibility for responding to it. There is
typically a short time period for comments and it is wise to divide the
various areas of consideration, such as geotechnical and hydrogeological
elements, transportation, air and noise pollution, among experts. This
avoids duplication of effort and maximizes the public input. Glendale
agreed to join South Pasadena, La CaƱada Flintridge, Sierra Madre and
Pasadena in a coordinated response.
Support for this effort was on the Nov.
4 Glendale City Council agenda and the discussion among the council
members was quite disappointing. There was a motion to direct staff to
work with consultants to prepare for the DEIR response. Despite pledging
support for the Stopthe710 effort during their respective campaigns,
Mayor Sinanyan abstained and Councilmember Devine joined Councilmember
Weaver in voting no. With only Councilmembers Najarian and Friedman
voting yes the motion failed. A subsequent motion to merely note and
file the report passed 4-1 with only Councilmember Najarian voting no.
Councilmembers Devine and Weaver must
stand for re-election in April 2015. I urge every voter in Glendale who
cares about using tax money effectively to attend the candidate forums
and ask pointed questions about this project. It is very important to
elect those who not only speak of their support but will also act in
their constituents’ best interest.
The other threat to this area is the
high-speed rail project. The California High Speed Rail Authority has
been working for years to develop the Palmdale to Burbank section along
the existing route of the Antelope (14) Freeway. In August, our county
supervisor, Mike Antonovich, proposed an alternative through the Angeles
National Forest. Either route would start at the Palmdale
Transportation Center and end at the Burbank Airport station. Each would
require roughly 20 miles of tunnels. While the forest route might
reduce impacts on some communities along its route it would severely
impact Lake View Terrace and Shadow Hills. There are a series of public
meetings to inform the public of the recent consideration of
alternatives. See www.hsr.ca.gov/ for more information on this project.
Mass public transportation has the
potential to provide environmentally sound options to travel the length
of our beautiful state but we must be watchful to make sure the impacts
on local communities are not too high.