Topics : TRANSPORTATION : Cities in Path of 710 Extension Taken Off Endangered List

Saying that recent events have dimmed the chances of extending the Long Beach Freeway, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has taken the cities on the proposed extension route off its list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

South Pasadena, Pasadena and Los Angeles’ El Sereno neighborhood, which had spent an unprecedented five years on the national list produced annually by the 250,000-member preservation group, have been transferred to a “Watch List” of less-endangered but still threatened places.

“The 30-year battle to stop a 6.2-mile extension that would plow through five historic districts, (and) force the demolition of more than 1,000 homes . . . is not over, but the outlook is brighter,” said Richard Moe, trust president.

Trust officials said the change occurred because of a number of events, including a Sacramento judge’s decision forbidding construction without South Pasadena’s agreement, a Los Angeles Times editorial encouraging consideration of a street-based “low-build” alternative, and the Northridge earthquake forcing the county Metropolitan Transportation Authority to put the project on the back burner.

But Mary Kelly, a spokeswoman for the city of Alhambra, which supports the extension, said the Assembly recently passed legislation that would override the judge and said that “low-build doesn’t work.”

The California Transportation Commission delayed a decision on the route last month, which also would need federal funding that has not yet been approved.