On Friday, Los Angeles City Councilmember José Huizar told the assembled audience inside the council's chambers that he was personally opposed to the construction of a tunnel to extend the 710 freeway beyond its northern terminus in Alhambra and beneath communities in Los Angeles, but was not yet ready to take an official stance against the plans.
On Monday, he was ready.
The Transportation Committee of the Los Angeles City Council on Monday approved a motion proposed by Huizar to officially oppose are currently studying in their effort to extend the 710.
The full resolution will go before the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday. The Los Angeles City Council Meets at 10 a.m. in Room 340 of Los Angeles City Hall, located at 200 N. Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles.
Metro is considering 12 options to alleviate traffic associated on the 710, which in addition to rail and bus expansion include several freeway and highway routes that would potentially be built through or below the communities of Garvanza, Mount Washington, Glassell Park, El Sereno, South Pasadena and Pasadena.
Metro is planning to narrow this list of routes down in fall before commencing a extensive environmental impact study.
Many South Pasadena residents have expressed their support for the options that are currently on the table.
, introduced on August 17, called on the council to oppose all future surface routes and five of the six routes currently on the table. However, the resolution didn't make a clear statement on future tunnel options, and didn't mention a currently proposed tunnel route beneath South Pasadena.
On Monday, though, Huizar's message was clear -- no extension, above ground or below.
"This is an historic moment in the fight against the 710 freeway, and we applaud Councilman Huizar for introducing his resolution and obtaining this critical Transportation Committee vote," Said John Shaffer, President of the San Rafael Association, a Pasadena-based group that opposes the 710 extension. "If approved by the full LA City Council, Mr. Huizar's resolution will send a clear message to Metro and Caltrans that Northeast Los Angeles and the surrounding communities deserve much better than another eight lanes of freeway, traffic, and pollution."
