In Pasadena, It's 'Go-Time' for Freeway Vote

PASADENA, CA-Residents of the community directly to the north of Downtown LA will vote today on whether their city should support the proposed $1.4-billion extension of the Long Beach Freeway. Supporters say the extension would ease their commutes and spur the local economy but opponents claim it could ruin the environment and lead to the destruction of many historic homes.

The extension would fill a 6.2-mile gap between the Foothill (210) Freeway in the north and the San Bernardino (10) Freeway in the south. The gap forces thousands of drivers every day to exit one freeway, maneuver through traffic-clogged streets in Alhambra and jump on the other freeway to either get to work in the morning or get back home at night.

The extension was actually approved by state and Federal lawmakers more than 35 years ago, and Alhambra leaders have joined many Pasadena residents in supporting its construction. However, the project has been thwarted by a lobbying, lawsuits and other maneuvers by neighboring South Pasadena since the 1960s.