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Whatever happened to the 710 freeway extension project?

File: Morning commuters travel the 210 Freeway between Los Angeles and cities to the east on Dec. 1, 2009 near Pasadena.
Morning commuters travel the 210 freeway.
(
David McNew/Getty Images
)
Listen 16:46
Whatever happened to the 710 freeway extension project?
Whatever happened to the 710 freeway extension project?

For over forty years, the plan to connect the 710 freeway to the 210 has been debated fiercely. After the project was on hold for decades, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have presented 12 alternative concepts for construction.

Now, as Metro and Caltrans are in the process of narrowing the 12 alternatives down to a few and preparing to conduct an extensive Environmental Impact Report (EIR), various groups are still concerned, to say the least. Questions abound regarding where the route will travel, how much damage and pollution it will yield for nearby neighborhoods, and how much the project will ultimately cost taxpayers.

So what are the options? How soon will the project actually begin? Can any option satisfy all stakeholders and leave a minimal dent in taxpayers’ pockets?

Guests:

Doug Failing, Executive Officer of Metro’s highway program

Dr. Ron Paler, President, San Rafael Neighborhoods Association (SRNA); member of the No 710 Action Committee