South Pasadena Reaffirms Intent to Fight Freeway
South Pasadena officials Friday reasserted their decades-long opposition to the proposed extension of the Long Beach Freeway, telling the Federal Highway Administration that the project would be environmentally and fiscally flawed.
The city’s comments were in a letter responding to a draft plan for the 6.2-mile freeway project unveiled in September by the agency.
Federal officials have said they will decide within weeks whether to proceed with the $1.4-billion project, ending more than 30 years of uncertainty.
The city’s letter warns that it may file a lawsuit to stop the project if federal officials approve it without a revised environmental impact report.
The letter also warns that even if the extension is approved, a state law enacted this month could jeopardize its funding. The law gives local agencies such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority greater control over transportation spending.
But California Department of Transportation spokesman Vincent Moreno discounted the impact of the new law on the project.
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