Elevated Lanes on 710 Freeway Safer, Advisors Say

Building elevated lanes above the Long Beach Freeway would improve traffic and sharply reduce the number of accidents, planning consultants said Wednesday.

A four-lane elevated “truckway” for trucks only, for instance, would attract most if not all the truckers on the freeway during peak afternoon hours in the year 2025, the consultants said.

That could increase safety on the 18-mile stretch of freeway from Commerce south to Long Beach, which now is crowded with trucks hauling cargo to and from the ports, said officials studying a $4-billion-plus project.

But a health expert from USC cautioned those officials to take into account how an expanded 710 Freeway could increase the types of air pollution that can lead to cancer, asthma and other diseases.

If truck traffic on the freeway triples in the next 17 years, as some project, diesel exhaust also would increase, Dr. John Peters told the panel of local officials meeting Wednesday in Paramount.

“The plan must make certain that air pollution is not increased, and that public health is protected,” said Peters, principal investigator of the ongoing Children’s Health Study, the nation’s most extensive investigation into the long-term effects of air pollution on children’s lungs.

The discussion came as the panel puzzles how best to expand the freeway from Commerce through 13 cities to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Of the three designs receiving the most attention, the costliest -- at $3.4 billion -- would add two lanes in each direction for carpools and buses, elevated in most areas, and another lane or two in each direction for other traffic.

The truckway scenario, at $3.1 billion, would build two truck-only lanes in each direction, elevated in some areas. A third option would emphasize the widening of major cross streets and add a lane in each direction in some areas.

Construction would not start until 2012 or later, but officials want to choose one of five designs this spring to improve their chances of getting federal funding.

The panel was scheduled to make that decision April 23, but that deadline may be delayed as members weigh new material from project consultants Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade & Douglas Inc.

In recent days, some community leaders and residents have criticized what they call a lack of public outreach about the project, saying that few people in the affected cities realize such a large project is under consideration.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and consultants handling public outreach have defended their efforts.

The technical panel reviewing the plans will meet Tuesday and again April 23 at 1:30 p.m. at the Long Beach Energy Department, 2400 E. Spring St., Long Beach. More meetings may be scheduled.

Roundtable talks on specific topics are slated for this week, and the public can attend:

* Today, Carson Community Center, Room 209 AB, 3 Civic Plaza, Carson: 9 a.m., elected officials; 11:30 a.m., business owners; 2 p.m., agencies; 4 p.m. environmental topics; 6 p.m., community.

* Friday, City of Commerce Conference Room, 2535 Commerce Way, Commerce: 9 a.m., trucking and transportation; 11:30 a.m., community groups.

Three evening open houses for the public will follow:

* April 28, 6-8 p.m., Main Library, 101 Pacific Ave., Long Beach

* April 29, 6-8 p.m., Bell Gardens Intermediate School Cafeteria, 5841 Live Oak, Bell Gardens

* April 30, 6-8 p.m., Humphreys Elementary School, 500 S. Humphreys Ave., Los Angeles.

More information can be found at www.gatewaycog.org.