Background
On November 18, 1964, the California Highway Commission determined the routing for the final five (5) miles of the State Route (SR) 7 freeway through the communities of El Sereno, South Pasadena, and Pasadena to complete the adoption of the Long Beach Freeway. The SR 7 is now known as the SR 710.
While the freeway never materialized in El Sereno and South Pasadena, the SR 710 northern interchange was constructed in the City of Pasadena in the early 1970s, resulting in the Northern Stub. This stub displaced thousands of residents and divided a residential community from an active central business district.
Following decades of planning and discussion regarding the future of the SR710 freeway connection, in the November 26, 2018 State Route 710 North Project Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIR/EIS), Caltrans identified the Transportation System Management/Transportation Demand Management (TSM/TDM) as the locally preferred alternative. Identifying the TSM/TDM as the locally preferred alternative facilitated local, multi-modal capacity enhancement projects to advance and be implemented, however, this action alone did not preclude the possibility of a future 710 North freeway connection.
As a result of legislation introduced by State Senator Portantino (SB 7) and Assemblymember Holden (AB 29), the California Street and Highways Code, Section 622.3 was amended to indicate that the CTC may make a determination to relinquish the portion of SR 710 that is contained within the City of Pasadena to the City if Caltrans and the City enter into an agreement providing for that relinquishment. This relinquishment eliminates the possibility of a future 710 North freeway connection.
Through a collaborative multi-year effort with Caltrans, the relinquishment of the SR 710 Northern Stub transportation network, from Union Street to Columbia Street was approved by the California Transportation Commission on June 29, 2022 and was transferred to the City of Pasadena on August 15, 2022.
SR 710 Near Term Projects
September 2022 Proposed Measure R Mobility Improvement Project (MIP) List
The currently proposed (as of September 2022) list of projects are consistent with the original project list approved by City Council, align with recent Metro Board direction allowing for multi-modal projects, and utilize the transportation infrastructure right-of-way made available through the relinquishment. These proposed near term projects address modernization through multi-modal mobility, creating network efficiencies and enhance safety while not precluding any future long term community vision for the future land use of the of the corridor.
Nineteen projects have been proposed in-lieu of the Metro L Line California Boulevard Grade Separation Project, to significantly improve mobility in the region and enhance various modes of transportation. The projects were chosen with the goal of improving safety for all road uses, including motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Consistent with the purpose of the SR 710 MIP program, the proposed projects effectively and efficiently accommodate regional and local north south travel demands in the study area while providing bus infrastructure improvements, bikeway improvements and pedestrian improvements.
Multimodal projects along the relinquished SR 710 Northern Stub Area of Pasadena Avenue and St John Street, from Union Street to Columbia Street were identified through targeted public outreach with numerous stakeholders along the corridor. Eight targeted stakeholder meetings were held, which included meetings with four schools, Arlington Garden, West Pasadena Residents Association, the Huntington Hospital, and the Transportation Advisory Commission Ad-hoc 710 Subcommittee. Following those meetings, initial project concepts were developed and presented to the public on August 9, 2022 at a community meeting held at Westridge School. Based on the targeted stakeholder outreach and the feedback from the community, a list of potential multimodal projects for this area was developed and are included in this updated Measure R MIP project list.
Presentation boards displayed at the August 9, 2022 public meeting and detailed memorandums of these multimodal projects, transit improvements, and neighborhood protection can be viewed below:
Project Development Technical Memorandum - September 2022
Neighborhood Protection Memorandum - September 2022
Transit Improvement Memorandum - September 2022
The proposed Measure R MIP list, in lieu of the Metro L Line grade separation at California Boulevard was presented to, and approved by the Transportation Advisory Commission on August 24, 2022. The project list was also presented to the Municipal Services Committee of City Council on September 13, 2022 and unanimously approved by the committee. The committee also directed staff to develop a work plan and identify potential funding for an Arroyo Link feasibility study which considers options to reduce the potential project costs, and develop a work plan to identify walkability enhancements and identify potential funding sources for the Metro L Line at grade crossings of California Boulevard and Del Mar Boulevard as well as the Metro L Line Fillmore Station and Del Mar Station. The work plan and funding options will be presented as part of the annual Capital Improvement Program development for FY2024.
The staff report and presentation provided to the Municipal Services Committee can be found here (Item #2 beginning on pdf page 33):
Municipal Services Committee Agenda Packet with 710 Report – September 13, 2022
Previous iteration of Measure R MIP Project List
The Metro Board of Directors adopted the TSM/TDM Alternative as the Locally Preferred Alternative for the SR-710 North EIR/EIS at the Meeting on May 25, 2017. The Board also adopted a Motion that reallocates the remaining Measure R funds to projects that will relieve congestion resulting from the SR 710 gap in the transportation system within the SR-710 North Study Area with priority to projects that are proximate to Interstate 10. Metro requested that cities in the corridor develop a list of Early Action Projects for consideration for funding with the remaining Measure R Funds. On January 29, 2018, the City Council authorized the Mayor to submit a list of Early Action Projects to Metro.
SR 710 Northern Stub Relinquishment
Through a collaborative multi-year effort with Caltrans, the relinquishment of the SR 710 Northern Stub transportation network, from Union Street to Columbia Street was approved by the California Transportation Commission on June 29, 2022 and was transferred to the City of Pasadena on August 15, 2022. More information about this process and the Technical Feasibility Analysis can be found here:
METRO SR 710 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT/ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
In June 2010, Metro in coordination with Caltrans authorized moving forward with the environmental review phase and broadening the search for multimodal solutions for the SR-710 study area. More information on the EIR/EIS, including the detailed SR 710 Advisory Committee meeting information can be found here: