Pasadena : Freeway Statement Rejected

A majority of the City Council rejected a plea by Councilman Isaac Richard that they take an unequivocal stand in favor of the completion of the Long Beach Freeway.

“We’ve allowed a small community to bottleneck our interests,” said Richard, referring to South Pasadena, whose efforts have stalled the project for more than 30 years.

Other council members cited progress by an advisory committee in devising a scaled-down version of the freeway extension, which would link the San Bernardino and Foothill freeways.

“If there is to be any expediting of the process, it will be through rational discussion and negotiation,” Mayor Rick Cole said.

The advisory committee on mitigation, which includes representatives from all of the cities affected by the freeway proposal, has proposed ways to save 379 homes and 22 historic structures currently scheduled for demolition. Among other things, the committee wants to bar commercial truck traffic from the freeway link, to eliminate two traffic lanes from the plan and to wipe out a proposed interchange between the Long Beach and the Pasadena freeways.

As proposed by Caltrans, the freeway link would force the demolition of 1,426 homes and 29 historic structures in Pasadena, South Pasadena and El Sereno.