Communities Prevail in 20+ Year Struggle Against 710 Widening

On May 26, the decades-long battle against widening the 710 freeway ended in victory as the Metro Board of Directors voted unanimously to support a proposal by Supervisor Janice Hahn to end the widening effort and reorient the $750 million in local sales taxes already dedicated to the project toward more just and equitable alternatives.

“Widening this freeway and wiping out neighborhoods is not the pathway forward, and neither is the status quo,” Hahn said. “We may be closing out an old chapter, but today we’re going to write a new chapter. We have an opportunity to use the funding we already have set aside for this project on smarter ways to improve air quality, reduce congestion, improve mobility, and address safety concerns for everyone living and traveling along this corridor.”

Hahn’s motion directs staff to return to the board in June “with new project vision and objectives, after final consultation with the 710 Task Force,” according to her summary.  Random Lengths News spoke with task force members for their reactions and ideas moving forward.

“The decision to stop the proposed expansion of the 710 freeway marks an important and symbolic turning point in California’s approach to transportation and mobility,” said Commissioner Joe Lyou, California Transportation Commission, president of Coalition for Clean Air and 710 Task Force member. “From an environmental justice and transportation equity standpoint, there are a lot of problematic freeways in California. The 710 freeway certainly ranks among the worst,” he said. “Everybody knows it but, until now, little has happened to fix it.”

“Though it took way too long to get a commitment to prioritize health and well-being, our community embraces this decision as a victory,” said Laura Cortez, co-director, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, another 710 Task Force member. “However, the 710 as it is now, causes significant harm daily, and community members along the 710 will continue to work so community voices are prioritized, and we don’t replicate the harms of the previous process.”

Cortez also shared comments from Clara Solis, an organizer who’s been involved since the beginning.

“This for my family began back in the early 1960s when the back of our property was taken to create the interchange between the SR 60 and the I710 south,” Solis said. “When this current project came up 20 years ago, we had to fight it. At that point, they wanted to wipe out homes and businesses. After taking so much from the community of East Los Angeles with four major freeways, they wanted more. It was unfair and it had to be stopped.”

“In the more than six years that I’ve been organizing for this campaign, I’ve seen community members have their experiences really shut down by CalTrans and Metro,” said Dilia Ortega, a 710 Task Force member with Communities for a Better Environment. “So to finally have this decision and have the security, that it’s not going to be widened, is a testament to the grit of the community and the organizers that have worked on this project.”

“There are already so many ideas being generated for how we can use this funding going forward,” Hahn said. “When I met with Bell Councilmember Ali Saleh, he brought up the idea of a regional transit initiative in SELA that better connects these cities. And Bell Councilmember Ana Maria Quintana told me her residents deserve to have a new Florence Ave interchange that allows them to walk, bike, and drive safely across the bridge. Many of our SELA city council members have also brought up the need for air filtration in our schools, more sound walls, and better access to the LA River. Our ports are also working towards becoming fully zero emissions, so we need to invest in a zero-emissions truck program.”

“I would like to see restorative justice for residents who live adjacent to the freeway,” Solis said. “Residents who live close to the freeway should be offered air purifiers, air conditioners, retrofitting to keep out sound and trees to mitigate the pollution. Additionally, schools should be retrofitted as well. Of course there should be free health clinics that treat residents for the health problems caused by the freeway.”

Bikes are important, too, Solis said. “There should be a bike lane over the 5 freeway. This would let residents go south of the 5 easier. I also think that e-bikes should be given to residents who may not be fit enough to ride a regular bike. Additionally, e-bikes could allow residents to grocery shop without cars. Currently, in many communities like East LA, there are not markets in walking distance.”“Expanding the purview of the project” is important, Ortega said. “People have been talking about green space, talking about the lack of urban tree canopy in the area,” and “alleviating traffic by improving our public transit, adding more bike lanes, improving pedestrian bridges along the corridor.”

In addition to the new project vision and objectives, Hahn’s motion called for staff to create an investment plan, with short- and mid- and long-term initiatives, with at least three initiatives to request funding in 2022, as informed by the Task Force.

The intent is that “It’s going to improve quality of life, and not just mitigate,” Ortega said. “The previous iteration of the project was trying to mitigate, but not actually improve.”

“We now have an opportunity to develop the 710 corridor in a way that meets all of our needs, from community mobility to the logistics industry to air quality and climate protection,” said Lyou. “It will not be easy but some things seem obvious. The community needs world class public transit, complete streets, a safe and functional bicycle and pedestrian network, and reliable low-cost high-quality internet access. The logistics industry needs zero emission heavy-duty trucks and trains, and the infrastructure to charge and fuel them. All of this needs to be done in a way that will reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.” With Hahn’s motion approved, Lyou said, “Now, for the first time, we have a reason to be genuinely hopeful that we will get there.”