Southeast Cities

Stay tuned - probably for another decade - to find out if Metro's latest community messaging is sincere, or just another iteration of the past couple decades of lip service to a community-driven process.

Dealing a blow to Metro's effort to fast-track expansion of the lower 710 Freeway, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated that Metro follow air quality laws.

Metro Measure M Active Transportation grants, and CA Transportation Commission Active Transportation Program grants

The planned WSAB rail line won't leave enough room for a bike/walk path on Randolph, forcing Metro to seek an alternative route

The first phase of the project was supposed to break ground in 2018

Metro is hosting input meetings for the conceptual design for the L.A. River path through central L.A. The $365 million 8-mile project is expected to open circa 2025.

This week Metro board committees are considering approving a distinctly backward-looking $6 billion project to widen the 710 Freeway through southeast L.A. County. It is difficult to believe that, in the 21st Century, Caltrans and Metro are still seeking to spend billions widening a highway in order "to improve air quality, mobility, and quality of life" per the Metro project website. East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice Executive Director mark! Lopez criticizes the 710 Freeway project because it "does little to advance zero emissions, does little to ensure local labor is hired to build this enormous project, and will displace hundreds of longstanding families from their homes."

The report is much more than just a discussion of the region's active transportation needs. It's a call to arms - a plea to the Southeast cities to take a leadership role in investing local return dollars from Measure M in infrastructure that serves the area's most vulnerable road users.