Planning for a proposal to expand truck and vehicle capacity on the I-710 Freeway in Southern California has reached a critical juncture in the process.
Staff members of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently completed a report that supports a plan to widen the 710 Freeway near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach—a critical corridor of freight traffic that drives the regional and national economies.
"In a report to the agency's board of directors, Metro staff urged support for a massive, $6-billion proposal that would add a lane in each direction along the 710 between Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach and the 60 Freeway in East Los Angeles," reports Laura J. Nelson. "The price tag is one of the largest for a freeway widening project in county history."
The plan calls for changes to all 24 major streets that cross the 710 as well as changes to three freeway interchanges. "A new, separated lane would allow truckers to bypass commuter traffic near the 405," adds Nelson.
The plan has sparked a strong reaction among neighborhood activists along the route, who say the plan would exacerbate pollution and displace residents.
For a scathing critique of the project, see coverage from January 2016 by Brian Addison. Coverage this week by Joe Linton offers a platform to the project's opponents. For institutional coverage, see an article by Steve Hymon and the I-710 Corridor Project website.
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