710 tunnel to receive $780 million from sales tax proposal

Metro just put together a draft copy of projects that a county sales tax increase would fund, and the 710 tunnel is on the list. That project would entail building a six-mile toll tunnel between the end of the 710 and the 210 Freeway. No route has been established for the tunnel, and a study on the subject will not be completed for at least a year.

Previously, Metro had released a list of rail projects and highway corridors that would receive funding, but had not issued the list.

The controversial tunnel project could slow things down for the ballot measure, which is already behind schedule.

The proposal needs to be in final form by August 8 to make it on to the county ballot. According to a source in the office of a San Gabriel Valley legislator, the Senate Appropriations Committee, which needs to approve the plan, will meet on August 4.

Steve Hymon, over at the L.A Times, points out that will lead to trouble for Metro, which is meeting in late July, and had hoped to already have legislature approval of the plan.

That could mean that either Metro schedules a last minute meeting between August 4 and August 8, or that it approves a measure which might not end up being legally valid.

The factions on the tunnel project break down by geography: Alhambra, Monterey Park, and other cities near the 10 Freeway have long pushed to have the road finished up to the 210 Freeway to alleviate their traffic concerns. South Pasadena opposed the freeway version of the project to avoid having it run through their town, and La Canada Flintridge has opposed it because of traffic concerns.

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, who used to be a La Canada council member, has been the most vocal opponent to the project, splitting a usually-united San Gabriel Valley group of politicians. Mike Eng, D- Monterey Park, has been the most vocal in supporting the project.

Portantino was originally very involved in pushing the half-cent sales tax increase, but had already started to be less supportive after language was added to the bill that would restrict how funding from the sales tax could be used on the Gold Line extension. I suspect that the inclusion of the tunnel project will lead him to gather whatever support he can to defeat it.

The list also includes $590 million for fixing the dangerous I-10/ I-605 freeway interchange.

UPDATE: Less of an update, more of one last thought. The tunnel project is supposed to be a tollway done in conjunction with a private company. Does the fact that MTA has a specific $ number on how much it needs to contribute to the project suggest it already has a private company in mind?

I'll see what MTA has to say about it... we should have an article in Thursday's paper.