By Kevork Kurdoghian, April 29, 2016
Extending the 710 Freeway from
Alhambra to a proposed interchange with the 210 Freeway in Pasadena has
been one of the more hotly contested issues in the San Gabriel Valley
for almost half a century. The freeway extension, which many in
communities such as Alhambra, South Pasadena and Pasadena argue will
greatly increase local traffic and pollution, is now being studied by
Metro, Los Angeles County’s governing transportation authority which is
charged with considering several options to improve north-south traffic
circulation, including a no-build option; a bus rapid transit (BRT)
option; a light rail transit (LRT) option; and the controversial freeway
tunnel alternative, which would connect the 710 and 210 with a $5.6
billion tunnel.
When the public comment period for the State Route 710 North Study’s Draft Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) closed last August, Metro had received more than 8,000 comments from various stakeholders.
The organization, in cooperation with
Caltrans, is now preparing responses to the comments and believes this
process will take the remainder of the year.
Once all the responses have been sent
out, Metro’s 710 project team will identify a preferred option and
finalize the EIR/EIS. Its preferred option will be recommended to the
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority Board of Directors and
Executives, which will have the final say on how to move forward.
The 710 project team will continue to
provide updates to stakeholders, allowing government jurisdictions and
710 activist groups plenty of time to discuss their stances with the
many communities of the San Gabriel Valley.
City Council member Steve Talt recently restarted the 710 conversation in San Marino.
“My desire in opening up this Pandora’s
box on the 710 was not necessarily to change our perspective, but to
understand why we take the position we do,” he said.
The San Marino City Council passed a resolution in support of the completion of the 710 in 2012.
Talt and fellow City Councilman Steven
Huang met with Alhambra Vice Mayor Stephen Placido on April 13 regarding
the 710 extension project.
The meeting gave these elected officials
an opportunity to look at alternative solutions to north-south traffic
in Alhambra, like focusing density closer to the 10 freeway.
San Marino Vice Mayor Richard Sun and Los
Angeles City Council member Paul Krekorian attended a meeting of the
710 Coalition on March 31.
The 710 Coalition, an organization of
cities and other community groups in favor of the completion of the 710
freeway, has plans for a community engagement tour starting in the
summer. Providing workshops to cities interested in talking about the
tunnel alternative will be one component of the tour.
Rosemead City Council member Steven Lee
said the 710 Coalition has been working with its consultants and traffic
and engineering teams to prepare a presentation highlighting the
positive impact of the extension.
“The data speaks for itself,” he said after listing some of the positive findings in the draft EIR/EIS.
Organizations opposed to the 710 tunnel
alternative are making preparations, as well. Beyond the 710 (BT710), an
assemblage of cities, organizations and individuals, has a new
“multimodal great streets alternative” proposal.
Coby King, CEO of public affairs firm
High Point Strategies, LLC, said the BT710 alternative “moves cars
better than the current configuration.”
He added that the lack of an alternative of this kind in the draft EIR/EIS is a “significant and fatal flaw” in the document.
The proposal, which came together with
the help of the transportation firm Nelson\Nygaard, provides an
alternative to the no-build option that King suggests would mitigate
traffic impacts without building the proposed freeway tunnel.
BT710 will continue to be talking with
stakeholders and gathering reactions from them about the proposal until
there is a recommendation made by Metro.
Extending
the 710 Freeway from Alhambra to a proposed interchange with the 210
Freeway in Pasadena has been one of the more hotly contested issues in
the San Gabriel Valley for almost half a century. The freeway extension,
which many in communities such as Alhambra, South Pasadena and Pasadena
argue will greatly increase local traffic and pollution, is now being
studied by Metro, Los Angeles County’s governing transportation
authority which is charged with considering several options to improve
north-south traffic circulation, including a no-build option; a bus
rapid transit (BRT) option; a light rail transit (LRT) option; and the
controversial freeway tunnel alternative, which would connect the 710
and 210 with a $5.6 billion tunnel.
When the public comment period for the State Route 710 North Study’s Draft Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) closed last August, Metro had received more than 8,000 comments from various stakeholders.
The organization, in cooperation with
Caltrans, is now preparing responses to the comments and believes this
process will take the remainder of the year.
Once all the responses have been sent
out, Metro’s 710 project team will identify a preferred option and
finalize the EIR/EIS. Its preferred option will be recommended to the
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority Board of Directors and
Executives, which will have the final say on how to move forward.
The 710 project team will continue to
provide updates to stakeholders, allowing government jurisdictions and
710 activist groups plenty of time to discuss their stances with the
many communities of the San Gabriel Valley.
City Council member Steve Talt recently restarted the 710 conversation in San Marino.
“My desire in opening up this Pandora’s
box on the 710 was not necessarily to change our perspective, but to
understand why we take the position we do,” he said.
The San Marino City Council passed a resolution in support of the completion of the 710 in 2012.
Talt and fellow City Councilman Steven
Huang met with Alhambra Vice Mayor Stephen Placido on April 13 regarding
the 710 extension project.
The meeting gave these elected officials
an opportunity to look at alternative solutions to north-south traffic
in Alhambra, like focusing density closer to the 10 freeway.
San Marino Vice Mayor Richard Sun and Los
Angeles City Council member Paul Krekorian attended a meeting of the
710 Coalition on March 31.
The 710 Coalition, an organization of
cities and other community groups in favor of the completion of the 710
freeway, has plans for a community engagement tour starting in the
summer. Providing workshops to cities interested in talking about the
tunnel alternative will be one component of the tour.
Rosemead City Council member Steven Lee
said the 710 Coalition has been working with its consultants and traffic
and engineering teams to prepare a presentation highlighting the
positive impact of the extension.
“The data speaks for itself,” he said after listing some of the positive findings in the draft EIR/EIS.
Organizations opposed to the 710 tunnel
alternative are making preparations, as well. Beyond the 710 (BT710), an
assemblage of cities, organizations and individuals, has a new
“multimodal great streets alternative” proposal.
Coby King, CEO of public affairs firm
High Point Strategies, LLC, said the BT710 alternative “moves cars
better than the current configuration.”
He added that the lack of an alternative of this kind in the draft EIR/EIS is a “significant and fatal flaw” in the document.
The proposal, which came together with
the help of the transportation firm Nelson\Nygaard, provides an
alternative to the no-build option that King suggests would mitigate
traffic impacts without building the proposed freeway tunnel.
BT710 will continue to be talking with
stakeholders and gathering reactions from them about the proposal until
there is a recommendation made by Metro.
Read More: SR 710 Project Groups Stay Active While Metro Replies to Community | http://sanmarinotribune.com/sr-710-project-groups-stay-active-while-metro-replies-to-community/?trackback=tsmclip