Draft report gives new look at 710

CITY HALL — Not only is an underground extension of the Long Beach (710) Freeway feasible, but it could take the form of a tunnel connecting to the Glendale (2) Freeway near the Eagle Rock-Glendale border, according to a draft report commissioned by state transportation officials.

The California Department of Transportation recently released the draft report on the results of its roughly $6-million “710 Tunnel Technical Study,” which evaluated fault lines, soil composition and groundwater to determine the feasibility of building an underground tunnel. The study found that tunneling is feasible in all five route zones, which could include extensions to the 2 and Foothill (210) freeways.

State officials stressed the study was “route neutral” and paid equal attention to all route zones, which encompassed Alhambra, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, Los Angeles, Monterey Park, San Marino, South Pasadena and Pasadena.

“It pretty much states the facts,” said Abdi Saghafi, Caltrans project manager for the study. “We have been very cautious about not drawing any conclusions from the findings.”

The final version of the report — which will incorporate input from elected officials and community members — is expected in spring 2010, Saghafi said. Officials will then determine whether to commission an estimated $35-million environmental study to examine effects of a 710 extension on traffic, air pollution and other quality-of-life issues.

While the proposed tunnel has typically been criticized under the assumption that it would connect to the 210 Freeway, Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian, a vocal critic of the project, said a route linking the 710 and 2 freeways seemed to have the fewest technical issues, according to the preliminary study results.

“From what I’ve seen, and what others have discussed with me, due to the type of soil and the fewer number of earthquake faults, the 2 Freeway route would be a likely candidate,” said Najarian, who also serves as chairman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The route would connect the 710 to the 2 Freeway between the Golden State (5) and Ventura (134) freeways, which Najarian said would bring controversial traffic impacts and other quality-of-life issues right to the “heart of Glendale.”