A bill that would enable to the state to move ahead with a 4.5-mile tunnel option for completing the Long Beach (710) Freeway between Pasadena and Alhambra was awaiting the governor's signature today, though a spokeswoman said he had yet to take a position on it.
Senate Bill 545 by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, which would block any surface route through South Pasadena, has the backing of all the cities through which the long-stalled route would pass, including Los Angeles, according to the lawmaker.
“After 50 years of battle, now is the time for us to come together as a community,” Cedillo said at a ceremony Tuesday at the Caltrans building in downtown Los Angeles.
The tunnel would connect the 710 Freeway to the Foothill (210) Freeway. Pasadena City Council members, however, were careful in their resolution to say they don't necessarily back the tunnel option, just the elimination of the state pursuing a surface route.
For decades, the freeway extension has been controversial -- and nearly continuously litigated -- because it would take out a swath of homes, many of which have been owned by the state for years.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he had not taken a position on the bill yet.
Even with the governor's signature, the multibillion-dollar tunnel option is a long way from being approved. So far, no environmental impact study has been done.
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The 710 ends in Los Angeles' El Sereno neighborhood, dumping traffic onto Valley Boulevard at Alhambra's western border. The extension would take traffic north through parts of Alhambra, South Pasadena and Pasadena, where it would connect to the 210.
