San Gabriel Valley : Coalition Calls for End to 710 Freeway Extension

The three-decade-old proposal to extend the Long Beach Freeway is for a second year among $40 billion in federal projects that a coalition of environmental and taxpayers groups say should be axed by Congress because they are environmentally harmful and too costly.

The highway through Pasadena, South Pasadena and El Sereno, which would cost an estimated $1.4 billion if it is built as planned in the next decade, is part of the Green Scissors ’96 Report to be released today, coalition officials said.

The report contains dozens of taxpayer-financed projects targeted to be cut by the unusual coalition that includes Friends of the Earth, CalPIRG, the conservative Taxpayers for Common Sense group and the Concord Coalition.

“It would save hundreds of millions of federal dollars if this freeway was canceled today,” said Rob Williams of California Public Interest Research Group.

Residents opposed to the freeway since its conception 31 years ago agree. “This freeway is so ridiculous when they are talking about tightening their belts in Washington,” said Lorna Moore of No 710 coalition.

But Alhambra Councilwoman Barbara Messina said the report’s authors seem to have not considered the damage to her city where the traffic now flows. . . .