The 710: Spine of LA Freeway system and its missing link

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1 Weather: VAN NUYS, CA Now : 79ºF High: 82ºF Low : 65ºF 5-Day Forecast Live Traffic: 2N 2S 5N 5S 14N 14S 101N 101S 118E 118W 405N 405S Site Search Web Search pow ered by YAHOO! SEARCH Subscriber Services Home Delivery e-edition Mobile Login New sletter Alerts RSS Local Ads Front page Home News Sports Business Opinions Entertainment L.A. Life Info Place Ad Classifieds Homes Jobs Autos Obits Shopping Most Viewed Most ed Recommend Be the first of your friends to recommend this. Share Tw eet 6 1. Northridge drive-by shooting leaves 1 dead, 3 others hospitalized 2. Autopsy finds North Hollywood boxer, 16, died of ruptured spleen 3. Man convicted for putting semen in coworker's water bottle to 'The Lone Ranger' crew member who drowned at ranch near Palmdale ID'd 5. Palmdale shooting claims boy's life 6. Carmageddon, the sequel: Drivers less cautious this time 7. USC FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Kiffin praises opposing defenses 8. FBI agent accused of using tax dollars to hire prostitutes 9. COMMENTARY: NFL deserves every bad call it gets 10. Mexico funeral attack kills 7, wounds 17 Local News SPECIAL REPORT Print Font Resize The 710: Spine of LA Freeway system and its missing link BY LAUREN GOLD, STEVE SCAUZILLO, KAREN ROBES MEEKS AND BRIAN CHARLES, STAFF WRITERS Posted: 09/22/ :19:44 AM PDT Updated: 09/23/ :32:17 PM PDT Latest news See the video -- Green Day singer enters rehab after expletive-filled, Bieberslamming, guitarsmashing tirade at Vegas fest #nsfw Wisconsin 'union buster' Walker wants union refs back on the field Bill Clinton's a fan of Mitt Romney... within limits Northridge drive-by shooting leaves 1 dead, 3 others hospitalized Obama condemns attacks on U.S., urges leaders to confront root causes of global 'Muslim rage' Apple iphone supplier halts production at China factory after brawl involving 2,000 workers erupts KNX, KFWB radio stations evacuated for 2 hours over suspicious packages Russians rethink 'culture of drunken driving' after 5 orphaned teens are killed at bus stop Autopsy finds North Hollywood boxer, 16, died of ruptured spleen Palmdale shooting claims boy's life Northridge drive-by shooting leaves 1 dead, 3 others hospitalized Autopsy finds North Hollywood boxer, 16, died of ruptured spleen Palmdale shooting claims boy's life 'The Lone Ranger' crew member who drowned at ranch near Palmdale ID'd Carmageddon, the sequel: Drivers less cautious this time Wrongfully convicted man allowed to revise lawsuit against Los Angeles over confession Longtime activists worry California government is softening on Santa Susana Field Lab cleanup Rep. Howard Berman to helicopter pilots during Carmageddon II: 'Think about the neighbors' Millikan students volunteer, raise money for cancer care Poet cops bring together worlds of poetry, law enforcement Aerial view of Long Beach Freeway (710) on Septem ber 10, This view is looking south with Pacific Coast Highway in the bottom of the picture. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen / Long Beach Press-Telegram ) Local transportation officials know it as "The Missing Link." 710 Freeway Extension 1/7

2 A dotted line on Los Angeles area maps since at least 1959, the 4.5-mile proposed stretch of the Long Beach (710) Freeway between Alhambra and Pasadena would complete a 22,000-mile Southern California transportation system that daily serves millions of travelers. Officials believe that when it's complete perhaps with a tunnel there will be smoother traffic flow and shorter trips in the region from Long Beach to Northridge and Santa Monica to San Bernardino. But, disagreement over a solution even extends to semantics. While proponents call completion of the 710 a "gap closure," opponents term it an unnecessary "extension." Both sides do agree something needs to be done once and for all. As James Moore sees it doing nothing has regionwide traffic flow and environmental consequences. "It's part of the network," said Moore, a transportation professor at USC. "Change the configuration of the network (and) everything (changes) in the network. Closing the 710 would affect 200,000 vehicles that take other routes." The 710 Freeway has long been a bone of contention among communities like South Pasadena and Pasadena, which sit in its path, and cities like Alhambra and Monterey Park that want to eliminate freeway drivers spewing onto their streets. 710 Freeway Extension Related Stories Life in La Canada Flintridge means living with freeways Road and rail projects impact ripples east Living in the shadow of the 710 Timeline: History of the 710 Freeway Map: 710 Freeway extension routes, impacted communities, points of interest and more Slideshow: A tour of historic buildings along possible 710 extension routes Then, there's the ports. The 710 debate in Pasadena throws the region's goods movement strategies Advertisement Photo Gallery: Aerial Photos of the 710 Freeway Photo Gallery: "The Missing Link" into the spotlight, especially in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Those economic powerhouses process 43 percent of the goods brought into the country each year. It has some freeway fighters worried that many imports will be stuffed in containers and strapped to diesel trucks chugging up the newly completed 710. choose your phone... Trucking companies and rail freight haulers insist there's nothing to worry about: They only need to get as far north as the San Bernardino (10) Freeway in Alhambra before turning east. ports 24 hours a day. Which creates a problem for the outliers those cities along the Alameda Corridor East. Many, like San Gabriel, Pomona and Fontana struggle with ways to move residents' automobiles past tracks carrying miles-long freight trains streaming from the As the debate rages, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials are scoping for the necessary Environmental Impact Reports on the north end of the corridor, where they hope to install the system's missing link. Your phone not listed? That missing link could be everything from a traditional paved surface freeway, to a modern tunnel like those in Boston and Seattle, to a light rail system dedicated to moving people, not trucks freight could be diverted to trains. At the same time Metro officials are wrapping up an EIR on the south end of the 710 where they hope to widen the freeway and expand rail yards. The Metro board will hold its monthly meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday. Activists from the cities on both ends of the 710 corridor are expected to attend. Diesel death zones Opponents believe any proposal for the 710 results in the destruction of neighborhoods and a reduced quality of life. "We look at ourselves; we're fighting the Port of Los Angeles and we're fighting the 710," Long Beach resident John Cross said. "We're like David and Goliath, only my deal is we should just find the right rock to hit them with. We're gonna keep chucking rocks 'til we find the right one." Since 1961 Cross has lived in what he calls "the diesel death zone." To the neighborhood's east is the 710 Freeway. To its west are refineries and the Union Pacific rail yard. "And the prevailing winds are coming from the west, so whatever pollution goes down this freeway or comes down out of those rail yards goes right into our communities," he said. That's exactly what South Pasadena Mayor Michael Cacciotti fears most. He believes completing the freeway even if it's an underground tunnel that preserves historic homes will only bring more cars and more congestion, extending Cross' "diesel death zone" into the San Gabriel Valley. Recommendations Granada Hills driving-school owner charged with molesting boy, 17, during 2/7

3 Cross' "diesel death zone" into the San Gabriel Valley. Cacciotti, also a board member for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, said Caltrans' 1993 completion of the Century (105) Freeway in the South Bay is a prime example of what could happen on the 710. "Within two weeks of opening it was bumper to bumper in rush hour," he said. "Traffic patterns move to the open areas." This rendering shows what the proposed tunnel in Alhambra might look like. And the same thing happened with the Foothill (210) Freeway when it was extended from La Verne to the 215 in San Bernardino, Cacciotti said. In 2009, Iteris, a Orange County- based traffic consultant group, conducted a survey called the "I-710 Missing Link Truck Study." Released only in draft form, the study seems to back up Cacciotti's claim. Commissioned by the Southern California Association of Governments, Iteris consultants found that fully half of 18 trucking companies surveyed indicated they would use the 710 extension route for trucking operations. The study found truck traffic would be reduced on surface streets in the San Gabriel Valley as well as on the Golden State (5) through Burbank between the 10 and the Glendale (2), as freight haulers would shift east to use 710 instead. Truck volumes would, in turn, increase on the 210 north into the San Fernando Valley by more than 2,500 trips daily. Truck traffic would also increase east of the 710 through Pasadena, the study found. The study was never "finalized" by SCAG. boy, 17, during driving lesson - LA Daily. 54 people recommend this. Opinion: LAX might let Ontario have its airport back. - LA Daily News One person recommended this. Northridge car shooting leaves 4 wounded - LA Daily News 5 people recommend this. Facebook social plugin A regional plan Overall, SCAG's Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) notes that the 710, San Gabriel River (605), Pomona (60) and Riverside (91) freeways carry the highest volumes of truck traffic in the region. Each averaged over 25,000 trucks per day in The 5, 10, 15 and 210 freeways averaged 20,000 daily truck trips, according to SCAG. A regional planning organization with representatives from 191 cities in six counties, SCAG's website says its mission is to realize "regional plans that improve the quality of life for Southern Californians." SCAG's RTP is updated every four years with an eye toward forecasting based on economic trends. An executive summary of the plan's most recent draft, released in June, notes that freeway congestion is the key problem facing Southern California commuters. If nothing is done to alleviate a host of problems on roads from the San Diego (405) Freeway east to the Devore (215) Freeway, jobs will be lost, according to the summary. How many jobs? "Every 10 percent decrease in congestion can bring an employment increase of about 132,000 jobs," the summary notes. Options Officials have come up with several options for dealing with system-wide 710 congestion. Some extra lanes, a separate elevated freight corridor, and automated guidance for trucks deal with traffic in and out of the ports. The proposed construction of the elevated freight-way south of the 405 will require driving support pilings into the existing levees. That, plus all of the transmission line relocations to the levee tops and moving all of the oil production equipment, is going to greatly increase the time and cost of the project, according to Joan Greenwood, a member of the Paramount-based Corridor Advisory Committee. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also submitted a letter expressing its concerns over the effects of the alternative on the flood management district. Four others options a freeway tunnel, a light-rail line, a bus line, and a high-tech transportation management system, which coordinates traffic lights and automobile flow deal with traffic in the San Gabriel Valley. At both ends a fifth option is also on the table it's called "zero build." That's not likely to happen and as a result, it's the tunnel plan that's drawn the most opposition. In recent weeks residents of Los Angeles, Pasadena, South Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge have attended meetings to voice their frustrations and concerns with Metro's plan. Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena, led La Cañada Flintridge's opposition to the 710 project when he was mayor. He was first to oppose a tunnel, which he sees as a taxpayer-funded boondoggle. On Thursday, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, warned Metro officials that he too was opposed to a tunnel and urged the body to remove the option from consideration when it meets Thursday. Portantino compares it to the railroad tunnel once proposed for under the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey. That project was killed by Republican Gov. Chris Christie two years ago. Christie said state officials predicted the costs were rising from $7.8 billion to as much as $14 billion. And that New Jersey would be stuck with 70percent of the bill. "New Jersey said we can't afford this tunnel so they nixed it. How is it that a tunnel that doesn't solve a problem, that is longer and wider, is affordable?" he said. The Big Dig Whenever proponents speak of the proposed 710 tunnel project, they never compare it to Boston's Big Dig, which took nine years longer than expected to build and went nearly $12billion over budget. Instead, they compare it to Seattle's SR99 tunnel project. "The one in Boston is nothing like the one they are proposing for here," assured Barbara Messina, mayor of 3/7

4 "The one in Boston is nothing like the one they are proposing for here," assured Barbara Messina, mayor of Alhambra and a longtime proponent of the 710 project. "It was a big fiasco a job poorly done." The state of Washington's Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program calls for a 1.7-mile, 56-foot-wide deepbore highway tunnel under the skyscrapers of downtown Seattle. The cost of that project is approximately $3.1 billion, and that includes tunnel boring and removal of the old freeway to make way for the new section of State Route 99, according to Matt Preedy, deputy administrator for the project with the Washington State Department of Transportation. Whether it will come in at budget remains to be seen. But Preedy answers that question in the affirmative. "Yes, of course. We are a year and a half into construction right now. We have a lot to go. We haven't started tunneling yet. We are very comfortable at this point with the contract bid we received and our contingency funds. We are right on track to deliver this within the $3.1 billion target," he said. A 2011 report commissioned by Metro says the proposed 710 tunnel project will cost about $3.5 billion, fairly close to what the Seattle project will cost. The Seattle project is the most similar to the 710 tunnel project in terms of the diameter of the tunnel. Preedy said the Seattle tunnel will be high enough about a 16-foot vertical clearance to accommodate trucks and autos. It is being designed to take freight from the Port of Seattle to points north and east, he said. Metro has not been as forthcoming about whether the 710 tunnel will take trucks. But Metro is using the Washington tunnel for price and size comparisons. "It is important to note the Alaska Way Tunnel in Seattle, which was used for comparative purposes to verify our cost estimates, is the only tunnel in the U.S. that is a large diameter tunnel constructed with a tunnel boring machine and is being delivered design-build with a similar risk allocation as is being considered for the SR 710 North Gap project," read the report from Metro dated July 1, However, there are striking differences. Metro wants to build two separate tunnels, one for northbound traffic and one for southbound traffic, each about 4 miles long, the report states. Preedy said Washington considered but rejected the twin tunnel approach as too risky and too costly. With two separate tunnels, cross connections must be built as an emergency route to evacuate people and cars, Preedy said. In Seattle, these would have to be hand-mined, a more difficult process, he said. The 2011 L.A. County Metro report compares the cost of the 710 tunnel project listed as $840 million per mile with several others. The cost per mile of the Boston Big Dig project is listed at $1.85 billion; the Bay Area Rapid Transit District Warm Springs Extension is estimated at $165 million; and a project in Washington, D.C., and Maryland figured at $85.4 million per mile. The cost of Washington's SR99 is about $1.24 billion per mile less than Boston's Big Dig but more than the per-mile estimate of Metro's 710 Freeway gap closure. Opponents take the opposite tack. They wonder how a 2.5-mile corridor with a 1.7-mile single tunnel in Seattle can cost overall about the same as two 4-mile tunnels beneath El Sereno, South Pasadena and Pasadena. Without a tunnel, the list of options for completing the missing link becomes smaller. Cacciotti's solution? Install light rail to close the gap. Instead of freeways, Cacciotti said, Metro should focus on alternatives. "The tunnel would just encourage more people to drive rather than take mass transit," Cacciotti said. "(Light rail) would work. You are giving people another option, there is no option now." Moore, who supports completing the regional freeway system with the 710, said using light rail to take cars off the road is a nice idea. But, he added, it's "delusional" to think it would work. "(Passenger) rail has got a magical story to tell," Moore said. "'If you let us build it, it will free up your highways and clean your air, but just let us finish it.'" ACE in the hole Opponents of the extension have blocked completion of the 710 since Some believe the missing link will remain just that. Still there is a need to deal with auto congestion and massive amounts of freight. Improvements to rail, which carries two-thirds of the items from the port out of the Los Angeles County basin will be the key to moving goods more efficiently, according to Michael Christensen, deputy executive director of the Port Of Los Angeles. Port of Los Angeles officials say they are turning to the Alameda Corridor East project as the solution to freight congestion rather than installing north-south train tracks through existing neighborhoods. The Alameda Corridor East is essentially a pathway from the ports followed by eastbound trains along the 710 corridor to the 60 Freeway and into San Bernardino County and beyond. For the most part it runs parallel to the 10 and the 60 between both. The ACE project aims to update west-to-east rail lines to accommodate communities along its path. It will also add a second rail line to increase efficiency. "We're providing a larger artery for the increased volume," said ACE board Chairman David Gutierrez. "This project has been identified as not only a project of regional significance but also of national significance." Cities such as San Gabriel, Industry, Pomona and Ontario bear the brunt of that freight by rail movement through the ACE. For years eastern Ontario has also been a highway truck stop for road weary 18-wheel operators. 4/7

5 the ACE. For years eastern Ontario has also been a highway truck stop for road weary 18-wheel operators. "The reality is that freight is eventually going to end up in the Inland Empire whether on trucks or on trains," said Tom Danna, Ontario traffic and transportation manager. Goods transportation is the backbone of Ontario's and for that matter the Inland Empire's economy. UPS and FedEx have local hubs in Ontario, and a slew of transportation companies and warehouses dot the landscape of the Inland Empire. "We know that significant improvement to the west of us... is going to help move freight out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (and) that is going to affect us whether it's rail or roadways," Danna said. ACE and its sister, the Alameda Corridor, led the push for expansion of the rail yards in Commerce and Vernon. Residents in Wilmington and Long Beach have been rallying against a rail yard project planned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which is spending $500 million on a facility closer to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Because not all terminals have the capability to unload containers on-dock, containers often are ferried by trucks up the 710 to a BNSF facility 24 miles away in downtown Los Angeles, where it would then be unloaded and put on a train. "This (project) would take 1.5 million trucks off the 710 Freeway," BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said. However, residents fear that the project would create more traffic and pollution in Wilmington and West Long Beach, where schools and parks are a few miles away from the proposed rail yard. "That's going to take more trucks off the freeway but it's going to put them right into residential communities," Long Beach resident Cross said. Lupe Valdez, spokeswoman for Union Pacific Railroad in Southern California, said when complete the ACE would increase neither the speed of nor the amount of cargo trains can carry. What it will do is provide "improved circulation for pedestrians and vehicles around active rail lines," she said. Freight to rail might not be the answer to the problems posed by the missing link, Valdez said. "It needs to have a connection to a rail yard... so just having a rail line there wouldn't diminish the need for trucks," Valdez said. "And trucks will still be needed to (make) local deliveries." Looking ahead Whatever happens will be decided by Metro over the next several months. After that, SCAG estimates completion of its 710 projects by Even so, Portantino wonders if Metro can be trusted. "If they are not going to really tell you how much it is going to cost or how many cars are going to use it, why are we even moving forward?" he asked. He says the project will reach an "F" rating during many hours of the day as soon as it gets built.... While La Cañada Flintridge Mayor Stephen Del Guercio insists that "if you build it they will come," Moore and others say finding and implementing solutions at both ends is imperative. It will be come more critical as tighter environmental and air quality restrictions are put in place by the federal and state governments. "We can never eliminate congestion 100 percent regardless of what we do," SCAG's executive director Hasan Ikhrata said. "But can we make life better? Absolutely yes." Staff writers Brian Charles, Lauren Gold, Karen Robes Meeks and Steve Scauzillo contributed to this package of stories. Charles reported from Eastern Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County. Gold and Scauzillo reported from Pasadena and La Canada Flintridge. Robes Meeks reported on the project from Long Beach and that portion of the freeway between Long Beach and Monterey Park. Stop 710 Now-No Build Anywhere! sign in front of a Caltrans home in the 600 block of South St. John Avenue in Pasadena Wednesday, September 19, (SGVN/Photo by Walt Mancini) Print Em ail Font Resize Return to Top 5/7