I-710 is the principal transportation connection between Los Angeles County in California and the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles. It plays a critical role in the regional, statewide and national transportation system, serving both passenger and goods movement needs. The I-710 corridor (Figure 1) is overwhelmed with rapidly growing truck traffic from the ports, burdened with outdated design features and severely constrained at numerous choke points. In addition, facing dramatic economic growth and revitalization potential, the area stands on a threshold in terms of how it prepares to accommodate this growth.

The purpose of the I-710 Major Corridor Study, as stated in the recent California Governor's Traffic Congestion Relief Plan, is to:

• Analyze the severe traffic congestion problems along the 18-mile corridor between the ports and SR-60
  
  
• Develop multimodal, timely, cost-effective transportation solutions to congestion and related problems
  
  
• Study the feasibility of exclusive truck lanes along I-710.

Figure 1: I-710 Study Area

PB is undertaking this 28-month-long study for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (GCCOG).

We are conducting a comprehensive assessment of corridor needs and opportunities that embraces both freeway and arterial systems, transit and highway facilities, capital needs and operational enhancements. We are developing a long-range improvement program within which critical near-term and intermediate-term objectives can be accomplished in support of community goals and regional mobility improvements. Based on the results of our analyses, we will develop a complete corridor plan to identify a preferred alternative, and produce the documentation required to move high priority elements of the preferred alternative into the programming and funding process. The major corridor study is the appropriate vehicle for undertaking this kind of comprehensive planning program because it is intended to establish the overall framework to guide corridor improvements for many years to come.

The overall improvement program is intended to:

• Provide efficient ingress/egress at the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles
  
  
• Reduce passenger vehicle and truck congestion along the freeway and corridor street system
  
  
• Improve mobility and access for all corridor users
  
  
• Identify measures to improve safety of all modes
  
  
• Reduce the potential for incursion of non-residential traffic into residential neighborhoods
  
  
• Reduce air pollution, especially at sensitive receptors such as residential areas, schools, hospitals and other community facilities.

Truck Traffic

The I-710 freeway carries heavy truck volumes over its entire length. Total truck traffic south of I-405 is currently over 20,000 truck trips per day, or 20 percent of all traffic. The ports currently forecast that this volume, 95 percent of which is port-related, will nearly triple by 2020 to handle forecast increases in their cargo volumes. This increase is projected in spite of a $2.4 billion investment in the Alameda Corridor freight railroad infrastructure project to serve planned increases in port rail traffic.

Trucks access the freeway at numerous locations along the corridor. For example, port-oriented truck traffic uses the freeway not only from the Port of Long Beach, but also from Terminal Island and other parts of the Port of Los Angeles via Ocean Boulevard. Further north, trucks access I-710 at Willow Street near the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF), Pacific Coast Highway, I-405 and many other arterial routes.

North of the I-105 freeway, the industrial cities of Commerce and Vernon rely upon I-710 as the primary truck route to and from local land uses in their communities. Many other Gateway Cities surrounding the freeway have important industrial land uses that rely upon the corridor for truck access, as well as residential and local business communities for which regional access is vital.

Key Issues

Key questions and issues we are addressing in the major corridor study include:

• Truck Lane Feasibility. What are the basic physical/design options for providing a separate truck facility along this critical goods movement corridor where trucks constitute 45 to 60 percent of freeway capacity? What are the costs and impacts of such lanes?
  
  
• Truck Lane System Coordination. As a potential key element in connecting the two ports to the rest of the nation, I-710 truck lane planning and development must be closely coordinated with current truck lane planning efforts along SR 60 and I-15.
  
  
• Choke Point Constraints. Because I-710 crosses and connects with five regional freeways in the 18 mile study area, special attention must be devoted to realistic solutions that can be implemented.
  
  
• Arterial Congestion Spillover. For many communities along the corridor, the I-710 interchange areas present recurring congestion problems for local residents and businesses. In addition, when freeway incidents occur, surface arterials can be overwhelmed by non-recurrent spillover congestion.
  
  
• ITS Opportunities. Improved management of corridor congestion and traffic operations through a comprehensive program of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) improvements is imperative. The ITS program must be cost-effective, closely coordinated with existing local and regional ITS initiatives and phased to provide early corridor management capabilities in advance of major construction projects.
  
  
• Funding Strategies. Funding is the key to implementing corridor improvements. To provide a solid basis for future funding applications, cost-effectiveness analysis is required to demonstrate the economic and mobility benefits of the recommended program. This will also set the stage for Phase 2 consideration of land use, economic growth and revitalization/redevelopment opportunities along the corridor.
  
  
• Consensus Building. The study process must be inclusive and collaborative to insure that the full spectrum of community and public/private sector stakeholders is brought into the program.