TRANSPORTATION ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Draft SR-710 Geotechnical Summary Report is Available.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) have proposed a tunnel for extending The 710 freeway. In 2006, Metro performed a feasibility assessment study of a tunnel to connect I-710 at Valley Boulevard to Interstate (I-) 210. The project area has been defined as between I-10 to the south, State Route (SR-) 2 to the west, I-210 to the north, and I-605 to the east. Based on requests from local communities, the study was to be guided by “route-neutral” principles for the extension of I-710. Route-neutral means that all routes receive equal attention and no route for the tunnel is favored over another. It also requires that all practical routes for extending I-710 be considered. As part of the route-neutral concept, Caltrans along with the CH2M HILL team, identified five study zones, representing the potential corridors for extending I-710.

The purpose of the geotechnical study is to determine the geologic, groundwater, and seismic conditions within the selected study zones to identify factors that affect the geotechnical feasibility of designing and constructing the proposed tunnel, and to provide a basis for a comparison of the geologic conditions with respect to tunneling design and construction.

The draft summary report is on DVD available at the South Pasadena Library. The draft report can also be viewed on the Internet at www.710tunnelstudy.info. under the “Reports” subsection of the website.  The PowerPoint presentation can also be found at  www.710tunnelstudy.info under the “Meetings & Materials” subsection. Public outreach meeting will be hosted by Caltrans in January and February. Please refer to the 710 Tunnel Study web page for dates and times.

The City of South Pasadena has representatives on both the Steering Committee and the Technical Advisory Committee. Both bodies have reviewed the draft geotechnical summary report. The City’s representatives are:

Steering Committee:
Prime:                Councilmember Philip Putnam
Alternate:           Councilmember Mike Ten

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC):
Prime:                Richard Gutschow
Alternate:           Joseph Birman

Staff Liaison:
Dennis L. Woods, Transportation Manager  

Fremont Avenue Traffic Calming

The City hired the transportation planning firm of Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin of Orlando, Florida to perform a traffic calming study on Fremont Avenue. The study looked at the role of Fremont Avenue in the context of the Low-Build Multi-Mode Alternative to the 710 Freeway Extension. The purpose of traffic calming is reduce vehicle speeds, improve safety and enhance the quality of life and travel experience for all users of the roadway including motorist, transit users, pedestrians and bicyclist.

The Glatting Jackson team was in town during the last week of May 2009and hosted several public outreach meetings where everyone was encouraged to participate and provide feedback and observations to the Glatting Jackson team on their suggested improvements.

Their recommendations are captured in the following documents:

1. Fremont Traffic Calming Poster

2. Glatting Jackson’s technical memo responding to City staff comments.

The recommendations produced by Glatting Jackson are conceptual in nature and can provide a guide to further study if desired by the City Council. The next phases of Glatting Jackson’s traffic calming recommendations have not been identified but will likely be discussed at future City Council meetings.

Contact Dennis L. Woods, Transportation Manager for additional information