highway expansion

Tonight, Caltrans is hosting a meeting to gather input on a new freeway off-ramp that would funnel 110 Freeway traffic onto Figueroa Street just south of downtown Los Angeles. The meeting takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Orthopedic Institute for Children, 403 West Adams Boulevard in South Los Angeles.

Albert Einstein says that the definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Smart people live in Pasadena. Some of them work for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and send probes to Mars. Others spend their days figuring out quantum mechanics at Caltech. And still others dabble in transportation. A study group formed by Pasadena's Mayor Bill Bogaard and its City Manager has a smart idea in response to L.A. Metro's study to link the stub end of the 210 with the end of the 710: instead of closing this “gap” in our freeways, rip out the 210's stub along Pasadena Avenue.

Last week, Caltrans and Metro released the long-awaited draft environmental impact report for options to improve transportation near where the I-710 ends, 4.5 miles south of the I-210. As usual, the discussion around the document depends on whether or not one thinks it's a good idea to dig a five-mile tunnel 150 feet underground to connect one freeway to another freeway.

(As we speak, the Metro Board of Directors is deciding whether or not to seek the funds and support to "accelerate" the I-710 Big Dig. Earlier this year, the Board voted to seek acceleration for every highway project accept the Dig thanks to a motion by Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Member Ara Najarian. The following is written testimony by Jan Soo-Hoo of the No-710 Action Committee. A copy of the testimony, with supporting letters from leaders in surrounding communities, can be found, here. - DN)

In the early days of Streetsblog, one of our favorite projects to cover was the the proposed Foothill South (SR 241) project in Orange County.  It remains one of those fun projects where both sides are colorful and entirely predictable. On one side are people that love the environment and clean air making the case for better communities. On the other are people who love highways making the case for highways.

The Los Angeles Times published a remarkable editorial today questioning why so little is done about the public health crisis caused by Southern California's reliance on freeway travel. However, either because of confusion or lack of will, the editorial stops short of proposing any real solutions to the crisis. It merely note it exists.

“Behind me, you can see one of the most notorious symbols of LA traffic: Valley commuters stuck in the 405 South daily traffic jam," began Wendy Greuel at her transportation themed press conference at the Sherman Oaks Galeria. "The 405-101 interchange is the most congested interchange in the United States."

You have to hand it to the public outreach folks for the I-710 Big Dig Project. Nothing says "community involvement" quite like dropping an Alternatives Analysis that was completed in December of last year to the public at Friday, at 3:50 p.m. before a holiday weekend.