Changes Proposed in Route of 710 Freeway Extension

State and federal highway officials are proposing that the much-delayed Long Beach Freeway extension be rerouted for a small stretch to bypass a newly designated El Sereno historic neighborhood that sits in the roadway’s path and threatens to block its construction.

On Tuesday, Caltrans and officials from the Federal Highway Administration’s California division will propose that the freeway route, which runs through Pasadena, South Pasadena and El Sereno, be shifted to a route 500 feet west of the five-block El Sereno historic district for a stretch of 3,700 feet, said Caltrans spokeswoman Margie Tiritelli.

The new freeway path requires the destruction of 88 homes, but it will spare 111 homes along the old path, Tiritelli said.

Last month the keeper of the National Register of Historic Places identified a 86-home tract, a triangle bordered by Alpha Street on the west, Kendall Avenue to the north and Berkshire Drive to the southeast, as eligible to be a historic district.

Opponents of the 710 Freeway extension said the route change would still displace residents and delay further the 30-year old project because a supplemental environmental study would be needed to study its impact.