State Accepts U.S. Rules for 710 Extension

Caltrans officials said Monday that they can meet all federal requirements in building the Long Beach Freeway extension, clearing the way for construction by 2005.

U.S. officials approved the long-delayed connector between the San Bernardino and Foothill freeways this month, contingent on the California Department of Transportation meeting conditions intended to minimize the 6.2-mile route’s impact on communities that have fought it for decades.

Caltrans’ acceptance of the federal requirements had been long-anticipated, but Monday’s announcement marked the end of yet another potential obstacle to the estimated $1.4-billion project.

“We believe it’s feasible,” said Tony V. Harris, head of the Los Angeles Caltrans office. “I feel confident as a past geometric designer that this freeway can be built.”

The proposed extension would slice through South Pasadena, Pasadena and the Eastside community of El Sereno, eliminating 900 houses and uprooting 6,000 trees. South Pasadena residents have bitterly fought the roadway since the 1960s, and El Sereno activists joined the battle more recently with a federal civil rights suit.

The suit alleges that the government had granted South Pasadena and Pasadena more design changes to alleviate the freeway’s impact on those wealthier cities than on mostly Latino El Sereno.

In response, federal officials mandated that Caltrans keep 80% of the roadway beneath street level in El Sereno, a technically challenging feat of engineering Harris said could be accomplished.

Other requirements include street improvements in Alhambra, South Pasadena and Pasadena, a financial road map to ensure adequate design and construction funding and relocation plans for people displaced by the freeway.

It will take an estimated four to five years to design the extension, Harris added.

The extension is still far from a sure thing. South Pasadena has vowed to challenge the project with an “Armageddon lawsuit.” And funding questions also remain. “I think the requirements in the federal proposal will be a challenge for Caltrans,” said Katherine Perez, city transportation manager. “We continue to be opposed to this project, whatever they say.”