CITY HALL
Residents support an underground tunnel linking the 710 and 210 freeways by a margin of 2 to 1, according to poll results released Thursday by supporters of the controversial project.
Of the 200 Glendale residents surveyed in late May, about 51% said they supported the tunnel, 21% said they opposed it, and 28% said they were undecided, according to the poll, which was conducted by Godbe Research, a California-based polling company.
The 710 Freeway Coalition, a regional group of business, labor and government representatives in favor of the tunnel’s completion, commissioned the poll in response to the Glendale City Council’s interest in involving the public, coalition chairman Nat Read said.
But elected officials and community activists against the tunnel weren’t convinced by the poll numbers.
City Councilman Ara Najarian, who has publicly opposed the tunnel for its massive price tag and potential quality-of-life effects, was especially critical of the survey results.
To potential naysayers of the survey data, Read emphasized that the coalition chose Godbe because it was the company that conducted the 1998 poll of South Pasadena residents, which found 80% of residents opposed the freeway extension completion.
Tunnel stakeholders and supporters argue the tunnel is a necessary connector within the Southern California transportation system.
While no part of the tunnel would be within Glendale city limits, its opponents say it would siphon commuters through the Glendale and foothill regions on the 210 and 134 freeways to Pasadena to catch the 710 Freeway south.
The City Council on July 21 is scheduled to consider a formal position on the contentious issue, he said.
Under increasingly narrow federal spending guidelines and pressed for time, the City Council on Tuesday authorized $660,934 in federal stimulus funds for a nonprofit child care center and East Garfield neighborhood improvements.
In doing so, the council rejected an earlier Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee recommendation to peg a large chunk of the money for a new youth center for Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter.
