710 - Long Beach Freeway Gap

[Interstate Trav]

I like the personalized license plate idea, I mean were these people protesting the 105?  Or the 5 when they got built.

They should sign the 710 as CA 710 on surface streets to connect the gap until the freeway actually gets built.

[kkt]

Or maybe Caltrans should have made sure they had all their permissions lined up for the whole proposed 710 route before building the sections south of Pasadena...

There needs to be a balance between the need for through freeway routes, and the rights of localities not to have any eyesore that someone far away dreams up rammed through.

[TheStranger]

Or maybe Caltrans should have made sure they had all their permissions lined up for the whole proposed 710 route before building the sections south of Pasadena...

There needs to be a balance between the need for through freeway routes, and the rights of localities not to have any eyesore that someone far away dreams up rammed through.

CalTrans DID buy the properties on the right of way decades ago, in an age before the environmental impact statement was even dreamt of.  Now that the tunnel seems to be the only option being pursued by them, that generally takes care of the "eyesore" part - should the route ever actually be completed.

[kkt]

CalTrans DID buy the properties on the right of way decades ago, in an age before the environmental impact statement was even dreamt of.  Now that the tunnel seems to be the only option being pursued by them, that generally takes care of the "eyesore" part - should the route ever actually be completed.

They bought the ROW but didn't get the city to sign off on it.

Yes, the tunnel might be an acceptable compromise.

[The Ghostbuster]

Acceptable to those who want the gap completed yes. But I have a bad feeling the NIMBYs will prevail, and the gap will forever remain.

[noelbotevera]

Acceptable to those who want the gap completed yes. But I have a bad feeling the NIMBYs will prevail, and the gap will forever remain.

Yeah. This gap will be a thorn in LA's side. They never got their freeways done, for example the Glendale wasn't finished to US 101, and there was the planned Beverly Hills Freeway, canceled in the 70s and never built. It's either let the FHWA pester LA or just accept it cannot be done.

[mrsman]

This gap was very frustrating when I lived in LA.  It means that the 210 freeway is relatively isolated from the rest of the freeway network.

I've known that South Pasadena was a thorn in keeping this freeway from being completed, but I never understood why Caltrans could not build the freeway in the 1970's to at least Huntington Drive.  Huntington Drive is much wider than Valley Blvd and would provide more surface street connections into Pasadena.

Oh well.  At this point, it's a toll tunnel or nothing.

[andy3175]

http://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20150913/epa-calls-710-tunnel-project-report-inadequate

An environmental review of the completion of the so-called 710 Freeway gap between El Sereno/Alhambra and Pasadena has been called "inadequate"  by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The federal environmental agency said the 26,000-page document released by Caltrans in March does not assess whether a 6.3-mile tunnel extension would help or hinder air quality in the region, the smoggiest in the nation.

Specifically, in an Aug. 27 letter to Caltrans, the agency said more study is needed to determine if concentrated emission points, known as hot spots, would occur near the entrances to the proposed tunnel at the 10 Freeway near Valley Boulevard and at the 210/134 freeways interchanges in Pasadena.

The EPA said Caltrans has failed to provide to the public a thorough analysis of air emissions at the tunnel entrances or portals, something that can be studied and should be released to the public, wrote Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's regional administrator in a letter addressed to Carrie Bowen, director of Caltrans District 7, obtained by this newspaper.

Blumenfeld recommended Caltrans perform a separate, "focused supplemental"  environmental impact study just on the tunnel emissions. The EPA said depending on the results, a design change in the tunnel project may be necessary in order to eliminate impacts on air quality. ...

Almost 10 years ago, Caltrans and Metro abandoned plans for a surface route and instead have proposed either a single-bore tunnel, with two lanes of traffic in each direction, or double-bore, twin tunnels with four lanes in each direction, as well as the other non-freeway alternatives such as a light-rail line, a dedicated busway, or transportation demand fixes. The Caltrans Environmental Impact Report concluded building a freeway tunnel would provide the greatest amount of traffic relief and the fewest impacts of the five alternatives studied.

The EPA letter said a 7.5-mile light-rail from East Los Angeles to Pasadena has the potential to disrupt the community, namely East Los Angeles, along the aerial portions. The EPA would like to see more analysis of those impacts related to tunneling for a light-rail system and said this portion of the report had "insufficient information."

EPA comments followed those from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which called the air pollution estimates into question and said the tunnel project would raise cancer risks to unacceptable levels.

So back to the drawing board ... we'll see what happens next.

[noelbotevera]

http://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20150913/epa-calls-710-tunnel-project-report-inadequate

An environmental review of the completion of the so-called 710 Freeway gap between El Sereno/Alhambra and Pasadena has been called "inadequate"  by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The federal environmental agency said the 26,000-page document released by Caltrans in March does not assess whether a 6.3-mile tunnel extension would help or hinder air quality in the region, the smoggiest in the nation.

Specifically, in an Aug. 27 letter to Caltrans, the agency said more study is needed to determine if concentrated emission points, known as hot spots, would occur near the entrances to the proposed tunnel at the 10 Freeway near Valley Boulevard and at the 210/134 freeways interchanges in Pasadena.

The EPA said Caltrans has failed to provide to the public a thorough analysis of air emissions at the tunnel entrances or portals, something that can be studied and should be released to the public, wrote Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's regional administrator in a letter addressed to Carrie Bowen, director of Caltrans District 7, obtained by this newspaper.

Blumenfeld recommended Caltrans perform a separate, "focused supplemental"  environmental impact study just on the tunnel emissions. The EPA said depending on the results, a design change in the tunnel project may be necessary in order to eliminate impacts on air quality. ...

Almost 10 years ago, Caltrans and Metro abandoned plans for a surface route and instead have proposed either a single-bore tunnel, with two lanes of traffic in each direction, or double-bore, twin tunnels with four lanes in each direction, as well as the other non-freeway alternatives such as a light-rail line, a dedicated busway, or transportation demand fixes. The Caltrans Environmental Impact Report concluded building a freeway tunnel would provide the greatest amount of traffic relief and the fewest impacts of the five alternatives studied.

The EPA letter said a 7.5-mile light-rail from East Los Angeles to Pasadena has the potential to disrupt the community, namely East Los Angeles, along the aerial portions. The EPA would like to see more analysis of those impacts related to tunneling for a light-rail system and said this portion of the report had "insufficient information."

EPA comments followed those from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which called the air pollution estimates into question and said the tunnel project would raise cancer risks to unacceptable levels.

So back to the drawing board ... we'll see what happens next.

Ehhh...this might not be good. South Pasadena still hates it.

[The Ghostbuster]

Does this mean the tunnel is as good as dead?

[mrsman]

Does this mean the tunnel is as good as dead?

My personal opinion -- yes, it's dead.  Despite the importance of having this tunnel to complete the network and to take traffic off of Valley, Fremont, and Fair Oaks, I cannot ever see the 710 gap being completed or even mitigated to any significant degree.

[MaxConcrete]

Does this mean the tunnel is as good as dead?

My personal opinion -- yes, it's dead.  Despite the importance of having this tunnel to complete the network and to take traffic off of Valley, Fremont, and Fair Oaks, I cannot ever see the 710 gap being completed or even mitigated to any significant degree.

After reading the news report, I don't think the tunnel option is dead. This is just a part of the environmental process, and this is the time to address these kinds of concerns to the EPA's satisfaction. It may turn out that the possible concentration of exhaust is not a problem, or it may turn out that remediation is needed.

Suppose that the EPA let the process proceed forward. Then the opposition could use this issue in a lawsuit to stop the project. If this concern is dealt with now, then it is one less issue that the opposition can use against the project in a probable lawsuit.

So I say the project is still alive. It faces a small bump, but getting over this bump will help ensure a smoother process ahead.
 

[andy3175]

Continuing along with 710 gap news... tunneling operations for transit projects (along with the restart of Bertha for the 99 tunnel in Seattle) seem to be raising prospects among some (but not all!) of the long-delayed 710 gap closure project. And many question whether the scale of the transit projects really compares with the size and scope of the 710 project. All this and more at the following link:

http://www.sgvtribune.com/general-news/20160312/will-metros-tunneling-under-los-angeles-spur-a-710-freeway-tunnel

When Bertha, a giant tunnel-boring machine, stalled and nearly caught fire beneath downtown Seattle, opponents of a similar tunnel proposed for the 710 Freeway between Alhambra and Pasadena would point to the drill's troubles and say if they can't do it there, they can't do it here.

But after a two-year delay, Bertha is back in business as of March 7, churning out a roadway tunnel that will replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR-99), an old freeway with structural problems.

Besides Seattle's renewed tunneling success, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority this month placed its own machine, nicknamed Harriet, under Crenshaw Boulevard, where tunneling for three new underground rail stations will take place during the next 15 months. In addition, Metro will soon tunnel under Wilshire Boulevard at La Brea, Fairfax and La Cienega to complete the first section of the Purple Line subway extension, and will tunnel beneath downtown Los Angeles for the Regional Connector rail project between Little Tokyo and Bunker Hill.

All this digging beneath different neighborhoods of Los Angeles, plus the resurrection of Bertha in Seattle, has buoyed those in favor of extending the 710 Freeway underground for cars, possibly trucks, as part of a long-awaited extension from the freeway's end at Valley Boulevard in Alhambra, through El Sereno and South Pasadena to the 134/210 interchange in west Pasadena.

"Yes, its doable,"  said the leading 710 Freeway tunnel proponent, Alhambra Councilwoman Barbara Messina. "It was doable when they tunneled under the English Channel. Plus, look at all the subway tunnels (in L.A.) we've built successfully."

Metro's next three rail projects are tunnel-ready. In mid-Wilshire, the large transit agency is prepared to move forward no matter what the obstacles may be.

"We will be tunneling through the La Brea Tar Pits. Talk about complex,"  said Dave Sotero, Metro spokesman. "There you may have gassy grounds and oil deposits."

With the 710, two freeway tunnel options have been explored in a 26,000-page draft environmental impact report released in March 2015. Twin-bore tunnels would be excavated side by side – one northbound, one southbound – and each tunnel would have two levels, with two lanes of traffic per level, for a total of four lanes in each tunnel. A single-bore, double-decker tunnel would be one tunnel with two levels: northbound traffic would use the upper level and southbound traffic the lower level, amounting to two lanes in each direction for a total of four lanes.

Caltrans and Metro estimate the cost of the tunnels between $3.2 billion and $5.6 billion.

Alhambra is a leading force in the 710 Coalition, which calls for "closing the gap"  of the freeway that starts in Long Beach and is considered the missing link in the 14 Southern California freeways. Caltrans first proposed the extension in 1959. Other cities in the group include San Marino, Monterey Park, Rosemead and San Gabriel. They say the congestion raises the level of air pollution in their cities and that a tunnel would ease gridlock and air pollution.

Opponents include the cities of South Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, Glendale, Sierra Madre and Pasadena, which say tunnels are unfeasible, dangerous, too costly and not a solution to local traffic. Two analyses, one by the South Coast Air Quality Management District and one by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, say the tunnel option would adversely affect air quality. The AQMD analysis says the tunnel would raise the cancer risk to unacceptable levels. The EPA said that a dual-bore tunnel carrying 180,000 vehicles a day would add to the load of PM2.5 particles, which are fine particles that can reach the lungs and cause disease.

With groups entrenched on both sides, neither the EIR nor the project itself has received approval from Metro or Caltrans. Some say the vote, expected this spring by the Metro board, will be postponed until after the November election.

But until then, can anti-710 groups still say tunnels are not possible?

[andy3175]

Another entity has announced opposition to the 710 tunnel:

http://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/news/tn-gnp-me-710tunnel-20160317-story.html

The Glendale Unified School Board took an opposing stance to a potential tunnel extension of the Long Beach (710) Freeway on Tuesday, siding with concerns from neighboring districts over possible adverse impacts to student health.

The unanimous vote by the local board is aimed at aligning Glendale Unified with the Pasadena, South Pasadena, Burbank and La Cañada school districts within a group called the 5-Star Education Coalition.

The collective will then vote to pass along its concerns to Gov. Jerry Brown's office in hopes the state government will intervene and compel Caltrans and Metro – the key principals on the potential tunnel project – to refine their proposal. The tunnel itself may end up being as long as 4.5 miles and would connect the 710 Freeway to Pasadena.

In the adopted resolution, Glendale Unified is challenging the findings of a draft environmental impact report conducted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

[emory]

Another entity has announced opposition to the 710 tunnel:

http://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/news/tn-gnp-me-710tunnel-20160317-story.html

The Glendale Unified School Board took an opposing stance to a potential tunnel extension of the Long Beach (710) Freeway on Tuesday, siding with concerns from neighboring districts over possible adverse impacts to student health.

The unanimous vote by the local board is aimed at aligning Glendale Unified with the Pasadena, South Pasadena, Burbank and La Cañada school districts within a group called the 5-Star Education Coalition.

The collective will then vote to pass along its concerns to Gov. Jerry Brown's office in hopes the state government will intervene and compel Caltrans and Metro – the key principals on the potential tunnel project – to refine their proposal. The tunnel itself may end up being as long as 4.5 miles and would connect the 710 Freeway to Pasadena.

In the adopted resolution, Glendale Unified is challenging the findings of a draft environmental impact report conducted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Why should anyone in Glendale care?

[silverback1065]

how would a tunnel hurt student's health? is this the best they could do?

[Plutonic Panda]

LOL! Student health being compromised? Why couldn't a school district closer to where this is actually being built say that and maybe they could at least claim proximity for some sort of credibility.

[noelbotevera]

I bet you a million dollars an idiot that's dumber than Glendale is able to make a better claim than this. How does a tunnel hurt anyone when it's finished? Physical conditions, please.

[mrsman]

Another entity has announced opposition to the 710 tunnel:

http://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/news/tn-gnp-me-710tunnel-20160317-story.html

The Glendale Unified School Board took an opposing stance to a potential tunnel extension of the Long Beach (710) Freeway on Tuesday, siding with concerns from neighboring districts over possible adverse impacts to student health.

The unanimous vote by the local board is aimed at aligning Glendale Unified with the Pasadena, South Pasadena, Burbank and La Cañada school districts within a group called the 5-Star Education Coalition.

The collective will then vote to pass along its concerns to Gov. Jerry Brown's office in hopes the state government will intervene and compel Caltrans and Metro – the key principals on the potential tunnel project – to refine their proposal. The tunnel itself may end up being as long as 4.5 miles and would connect the 710 Freeway to Pasadena.

In the adopted resolution, Glendale Unified is challenging the findings of a draft environmental impact report conducted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Why should anyone in Glendale care?

The saga of the 710 gap is one of 10 corridor cities vs. 210 corridor cities.  It's clear that Alhambra is most pro-tunnel, since most of the traffic leaves the 710 and clogs up Valley and Fremont in Alhambra.  But enough other people continue along 10 East to reach arterials like San Gabriel and Rosemead to eventually get to the 210.  So some of those neighboring cities are pro-710.  And it's clear that So Pas and Pasadena are anti-710, but if the tunnel is completed, it will dramatically increase traffic on the 210.  A 710 tunnel will provide a direct shot to 210 west, a great bypass of the I-5 for those heading to the San Joaquin Valley.  So this explains why Glendale and La Canada Flintridge are opposed.  The 210 between San Fernando and Pasadena is one of the few freeways in So Cal that tends to move at speed, even during rush hours.  If 210 is easier to get to with the completion of the 710, this stretch will begin to get crowded.

[Henry]

I bet you a million dollars an idiot that's dumber than Glendale is able to make a better claim than this. How does a tunnel hurt anyone when it's finished? Physical conditions, please.

Exactly! Harmful, my ass.

[roadfro]

^  I'd speculate that the harm caused by a tunnel is related to potential tunnel ventilation. You have to vent the vehicle exhaust out of a tunnel like that. People living near the portals or other ventilation sites may be concerned with air quality emanating from the vent system, as the amount of particulate matter in the air would be much more concentrated near the vent exhaust points than compared to an open air freeway.

[The Ghostbuster]

Or maybe "student health" is just another excuse to keep the gap unfilled.

[Bickendan]

Meanwhile, Glendale wants to put a lid on the 134. Seems like the school district wants to have its cake and eat it too...

[Sonic99]

^  I'd speculate that the harm caused by a tunnel is related to potential tunnel ventilation. You have to vent the vehicle exhaust out of a tunnel like that. People living near the portals or other ventilation sites may be concerned with air quality emanating from the vent system, as the amount of particulate matter in the air would be much more concentrated near the vent exhaust points than compared to an open air freeway.

They're in the middle of the most polluted air in North America, and suddenly putting some cars under the ground is going to kill the children?

[707]

^  I'd speculate that the harm caused by a tunnel is related to potential tunnel ventilation. You have to vent the vehicle exhaust out of a tunnel like that. People living near the portals or other ventilation sites may be concerned with air quality emanating from the vent system, as the amount of particulate matter in the air would be much more concentrated near the vent exhaust points than compared to an open air freeway.

They're in the middle of the most polluted air in North America, and suddenly putting some cars under the ground is going to kill the children?

Exactly. Nothing's gonna change. It's the same traffic, but being moved underground. Literally, the only thing that would change would be less cars on the streets of South Pasadena and no surface freeway disturbing their little town. I mean seriously, isn't that supposed to be a good thing? You'd think residents would like the idea of the traffic going somewhere where it won't disturb them or their communities, but noooooooo. Instead, this hippies have to complain like always and spread further unbelievable b******t. Even if you tore up all the roads in the world and made humans go back to living in caves, they'd still complain and whine.