A Step Forward on the 710 Freeway

by Gary Toebben

Last Thursday, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) voted to invest $1 billion in early action projects and a clean technology fund to improve congestion and air quality on the 710 Freeway between Long Beach and the 60 Freeway. Early action projects and their timing will be identified in the spring and include improvements like a truck by-pass lane at the 405 & 710 interchange, updated ramps for 24 streets along the corridor, modernized interchanges and a clean technology fund. The Metro Board did not include the addition of two new lanes as recommended by Metro staff and urged by the business community. That authorization will require a future vote for approval, but last week’s action was a step forward.

Many of the L.A. County residents who voted for Measure M in November 2016, were voting for congestion relief on the 710 Freeway.  As the gateway to the ports of Long Beach and L.A., this artery is the principle route for trucks hauling containers to and from the ports and for employees who work at the ports. The cargo that moves through the two ports generates 580,450 jobs in Southern California. That is 580,450 jobs created by processing the cargo that travels by truck on the 710 and by train on the Alameda Corridor.

The impassioned arguments in opposition during last Thursday’s public meeting were not unique to L.A. County. They are commonplace in urban areas where elected leaders are searching for solutions to reduce congestion and enhance the movement of people and goods. Urban areas that are already built out have no choice but to consider the reuse of some existing spaces in order to meet the long term needs of their residents. The solutions are almost always controversial and almost always expensive, and history shows that the solutions become more controversial and more expensive every year. 

Too many jobs and families in L.A. County depend on the ports of Long Beach and L.A. for me to believe that the action taken by the Metro Board last Thursday is sufficient for the long term. But I am glad that Metro took that action, and I encourage more solutions and action in the years ahead. The status quo for the 710 is not a successful blueprint for the future.  

And that's The Business Perspective.