Building a park or housing on those 710 Freeway stubs are off the table for now
Representatives of cities affected by the recent decision to kill the extension of the 710 Freeway voiced concerns Friday about plans to close the Alhambra freeway “stub” at the 10 Freeway.
Alhambra has envisioned reclaiming the 51 acres of concrete freeway lanes from the 10 Freeway north to Valley Boulevard and transforming them into a regional park.
But neighbors say without the roadway extensions already provided, traffic would be redirected into their cities, making congestion worse.
If approved, drivers would reach South Pasadena and Pasadena by exiting the 710 at Ramona Road in Monterey Park or transitioning to the 10 eastbound and exiting at Fremont Avenue in Alhambra, San Gabriel Boulevard in San Gabriel or Rosemead Boulevard in Rosemead.
State Sen. Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, stands opposed. She said closures to the Alhambra and Pasadena stubs would be premature and blocks input from Monterey Park, Alhambra, Rosemead, San Marino and the city of Los Angeles.
Alterations to the two stubs would represent a major transportation shift in the West San Gabriel Valley, modifying what has stood — albeit as an incomplete structure — for more than a half-century.
“For these reasons, I am opposed to closing the 710 stubs and hope all cities impacted by the Caltrans 710 project are involved in the discussion before a final decision is made,” Rubio said during a meeting of the Senate Transportation Committee on July 9.
The 710 freeway stub in Pasadena is being used as a connector to the 210 and 134 freeways on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Pasadena has hired a consultant to negotiate the release of the land from Caltrans for future development. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
On Friday, during a roundtable discussion at Monterey Park City Hall, Rubio brought together council members and staff from cities that had favored the freeway extension, namely San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Alhambra and Rosemead, to “bring everybody on the same page” concerning post-710 projects.