Torres to Continue Fighting Freeway
A bid to block the routing of the Long Beach Freeway’s final leg through South Pasadena has been dealt a setback, but Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) immediately vowed to revive his fight before the legislative session ends in September.
“I’m going to continue to raise the issue as best as I can,” Torres said after the Senate last Friday removed his amendment--aimed at scuttling the controversial freeway link--from compromise transportation legislation.
The state Department of Transportation is finishing an environmental impact study on a freeway route that would roughly follow Meridian Avenue in South Pasadena and destroy some historic houses in the northern part of the city.
Caltrans officials say they expect federal approval in August for the 6.2-mile-long route, known as the Meridian Variation.
Caltrans estimates the cost of completion at $425 million, but opponents of the freeway claim that the price tag eventually could climb to $1 billion.
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