The region could improve livability by blowing up some concrete
January 31, 2017
Since the dawn of civilization, humanity
has discussed fixing the 710 freeway, which originates in Long Beach and
abruptly ends in Valley Boulevard in Alhambra. Metro is currently
considering a 4.5-mile tunnel underneath the area that would connect the 710 to the more sensible terminus of the 210 in Pasadena. The expensive proposal is mostly a non-starter for Pasadena, South Pasadena, and northeast L.A. locals.
The nonprofit organization Congress for the New Urbanism has a different idea—tear
down the short Alhambra stub north of the 10 freeway and replace it
with a more people-friendly surface road. By doing that, the 710 would
end at the 10, instead of an arbitrary street not adjacent to any major
attraction.
“Research has shown that removing in-city
freeways makes residents healthier, strengthens local economies, opens
up land for parks, creates opportunities for development, and can even
ease local traffic problems,” former Milwaukee mayor John Norquist—who
oversaw the removal of an elevated freeway in his city—told the Temple City Tribune.
The 710 stub runs parallel to California
State University, Los Angeles, though it doesn’t end at the campus. One
can imagine a much better use of space abutting one of our local
universities—park? stadium? rail station? mixed-use development?—rather
than a dirty freeway that spills traffic out onto blighted, but
potential-laden, Valley Blvd. Sure, the tunnel option could include a
public transit option, like a light rail or bus rapid transit line, but
it will also attract about 40,000 new cars
to the area that will not stop and patronize local businesses. Even if
nothing but a street replaces the freeway stub, cars driving through a
new surface road, complete with bike lanes and wider sidewalks, could
bring new customers to local businesses.
Another argument for tear-down is
knitting together the eastern environs of L.A., which are bisected by
numerous freeways; poor Boyle Heights has the 101, 10, 60, and 5 tearing
through it. Nearby Alhambra is bisected by the 10 and the stabbed by
the 710 stub. There’s a reason why L.A.’s poorer environs (South L.A.,
Boyle Heights) have concrete scars running through them and wealthier
areas (Beverly Hills, West Hollywood) do not. Bulldozing this stub would
bring a tiny bit of environmental justice to East L.A.