L.A.'s Car & Highway Aficionados Column*

[milquetoast]

If they can drill 250 foot test holes in a few weeks time, why can't they drill subway holes in a few weeks time?

[Fern~Fern*]

Originally Posted by milquetoast

If they can drill 250 foot test holes in a few weeks time, why can't they drill subway holes in a few weeks time?

^ Well as you can see LA area freeways are by far more important than subways. Don't get me wrong Subways are definitely a good source of an alternative transportation but fwy's seemed priority...

[Fern~Fern*]

I feel like this thread should be STICKY. Since we have 3 anti L.A. Car & Highway threads already STICKY. We need some balance in this forum and we definitely don't want to project prference towards a specific cause (Pro Public transit ). Last thing we need is to told we discriminate towards those who worship their Cars who enjoy driving on the Highway with the wind in their hair with this great weather we've been getting here in Los Angeles.

...can I get an Amen!!!!

[Westsidelife]

^ This thread does NOT need to be stickied. There hadn't been a new post in over a year before you decided to bring it back to life.

Mass transit is LA's future. Get with it.

[Fern~Fern*]

^ I brought back from the the vault because it has much more to give. Instead of opening another new similar thread when we had this puppy all along. I am actually shock that your the only one who has said anything about it. Since I know that 93% percent of these forumer's think alike. So like I mentioned we need diversity in topics that relate to this great Metropolis we live in, since the majority of us (Angelinos) do drive.

With that said, can LASF sticky this since there's sooooo much happening with our local freeways (710 Extension) and whatnot.

Lastly, if LASF decides that this thread doesn't have what it takes to be STICKY. I will definitely respect his decision since he's the official L.A.Mod not just a hopeless dreamer...:wink:

[Fern~Fern*]

Caltrans renews study of 710 Freeway tunnel
South Pasadena and Alhambra are at odds again as the state begins testing several underground routes.

By Jean Merl
January 19, 2009

It's the freeway controversy that just won't quit.

The fight over whether to finish the 710 Freeway -- which stops just short of South Pasadena -- has been going on for more than half a century, with the records in a 1998 federal court case so voluminous that they filled some 500 cardboard file boxes.

Now transit officials are opening another chapter in the controversy: They have begun exploratory drilling to determine the feasibility of building a tunnel to link the unfinished 710 to the 210 or possibly another freeway.

The California Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are conducting boring and seismic reflection activities at 33 sites throughout the study area, which includes Alhambra, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, northeast Los Angeles, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Marino and South Pasadena.

Douglas Failing, Caltrans director for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, called the study "a key piece" in determining whether the freeway project can move forward.

Already, combatants in the 710 freeway fight have drawn battle lines.

Alhambra Mayor Barbara Messina, who has spent 27 years fighting to complete the freeway, said building a tunnel "is the only way it's ever going to happen." Putting the freeway 250 or more feet underground is supporters' best chance at overcoming the opposition to building it through residential neighborhoods.

"It's not taking homes. It's not taking trees," Messina said. "There is no real reason anymore for people to be opposed to it."

But longtime South Pasadena resident and 710 Freeway extension opponent Joanne Nuckols called the tunnel proposal "a really bad idea" and the exploratory study "a waste of taxpayers' money."

The[COLOR="rgb(46, 139, 87)"] 710 Freeway[/COLOR] extension has been in limbo for years: In 2003, the Federal Highway Administration rescinded its 1998 approval of a court-stalled surface route linking the northern terminus of the 710, at the boundary of Los Angeles and Alhambra, to the 210 Freeway.

South Pasadena and other opponents had kept the project tied up in courts for years, while Alhambra and its allies have long battled 710 freeway extension as a solution to traffic and air pollution problems where the freeway ends at Valley Boulevard and dumps about 100,000 vehicles a day onto surface streets.

Officials hope to finish the 710 tunnel technical study by May and to have some answers regarding a tunnel's feasibility by the end of the year.

If officials decide to pursue a tunnel, they would need to conduct public hearings, pick a route, conduct extensive environmental studies, secure funding, pass muster with federal and state authorities and, as a practical matter at least, build community support before construction could begin.

Officials in South Pasadena, which has led the long fight against a 710 freeway extension that would slice through some of its quiet, leafy neighborhoods of historic homes, are going along with the study but say their cooperation should not be construed as support for a tunnel, which has yet to undergo environmental review.

Some activists are opposed even to a feasibility study. And the cities of South Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge have filed suit objecting to the inclusion of $780 million in freeway tunnel-building funds in Measure R, the half-cent sales tax hike for transit that Los Angeles County voters approved in November.

Nonetheless, supporters of efforts to complete the 710 see tunneling as a possible solution to a standoff that has left a 6.2-mile gap between the two freeway and set neighboring cities against one another.

Caltrans is scheduled to make a presentation on the tunnel study to the South Pasadena City Council at its regular meeting Wednesday.

Since the 2003 withdrawal of federal approval for the surface extension, interest in a tunnel -- once rejected as unrealistic -- has resurfaced. The MTA did a limited survey of a proposal to build a 4.5-mile multilane road under South Pasadena and Pasadena to provide most of the link between the 710 and the 210. Officials estimated then that it would cost at least $3 billion and take 11 years to build.

But the current technical survey, begun earlier this month as part of an $11.5-million, two-year feasibility study, has been expanded to five zones for several alternatives. Any of those could also be problematic, including tunneling to link the 710 to the 2 Freeway on the west or to the 605 on the east. The latter, about an 11-mile route, would roughly parallel the 10 Freeway.

Caltrans' Failing said the other possibilities were added to help ensure that the study is conducted in a "route-neutral manner," meaning that officials will explore "any feasible alternative."

Anti-freeway activists contend that the tunnel would create a new set of problems for their communities and said traffic problems could be better addressed by measures other than extending the freeway.

"It really doesn't solve the transportation problems," said South Pasadena City Councilman Richard Schneider. "It's really not for commuters; it's for trucks coming out of the harbor and Long Beach."

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), who is skeptical of Caltrans' claims of an objective feasibility study, recently introduced legislation that would require the agency to sell the roughly 500 properties it acquired years ago along the surface route in the Los Angeles neighborhood of El Sereno and in South Pasadena and Pasadena and use the proceeds for the state's cash-strapped university systems.

South Pasadena has also called for the release of the Caltrans-owned properties.

Abdi Saghafi, the Caltrans project manager for the 710 corridor, responding to South Pasadena's call to sell the properties and return them to the tax rolls, said the agency would not favor releasing the properties until the extension question is settled.

It's against this backdrop that the tunnel technical study is going on. The study is designed to provide analyses of soil and sub-surface conditions at depths of 250 feet or deeper.

Failing said advances in tunnel technology in the last 30 years have made it possible to build safely and even relatively economically in areas once considered impossible.

jean.merl@latimes.com


Why don't some just see the benefit of this Freeway Extension...

[Fern~Fern*]

Possible 110 Freeway hit-and-run leaves cars in flames

Daily News Wire Services
Updated: 01/19/2009 07:20:22 AM PST

A possible hit-and-run accident on the 110 (Harbor) Freeway in downtown Los Angeles left two cars in flames and no one injured this morning, authorities said.

The incident, on the north-bound side of the 110 at 2nd Street, was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 6:02 a.m., said Officer David Porter of the CHP's Traffic Management Center.

After arriving at the site of the incident, the CHP found two vehicles in flames, Porter said. CHP investigators believe the driver of one of the vehicles, a man, left the wreckage by crossing the south-bound lanes of the 110 on foot.

The crash remains under investigation. Traffic through downtown is backed up in both directions.

[Fern~Fern*]

Bill introduced to eliminate possible above-ground 710 freeway extension

Posted: 01/19/2009 10:08:42 AM PST

State legislation was introduced last week that would compel Caltrans, the state highway agency, to sell local properties it purchased decades ago to form a route for the above-ground 710 Freeway extension.
Selling those properties, located in Pasadena, Alhambra, South Pasadena, and El Sereno, would effectively kill the above-ground option, something that the cities of South Pasadena, La Canada Flintridge, and others have been pushing for for decades.

Caltrans is currently pursuing a tunnel option, which would involve a 4.5-mile route to connect the 710 Freeway to the 210 Freeway. No route has yet been decided, but the agency has been drilling at sites to help determine the feasibility of the project, starting earlier this month.

The agency has not discarded the idea of doing an above-ground option, with area director Doug Failing saying earlier this month it is still a possibility. Opposition to the project, which had stalled the project for decades right up until the point Caltrans introduced the tunnel option, makes it unlikely that the above-ground option would ever be built.

The bill was introduced by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, a former council member in La Canada who has consistently opposed the project.

Portantino claims, however, that opposition to the project is not the reason for the bill. He believes sales of the property, about 500 parcels, most with homes on them, could net the state up to $500 million. "In the state's
current condition, $500 million that could go to education would make a huge difference," said Portantino. "If you believe Caltrans, they know the surface route will never be built." Getting the $500 million any time soon could prove to be a challenge, since home sales have fallen off a cliff in the last year, and local real estate, while avoiding the immense price drops that have been seen elsewhere in the country, is still not selling at the same prices it was over a year ago.

[Fern~Fern*]

So any new news about the 710 extension????

[soup or man]

Originally Posted by Fern~Fern*

So any new news about the 710 extension????

If there were news, you and the rest of the LA section would know about it.

[milquetoast]

WHEN I WAS A KID,

THEY TOLD US IN THE 21ST CENTURY

WE'D HAVE CARS THAT FLY ...

SUNSHINE AND TAP WATER?

FINDING A FUEL FOR THE FUTURE

.

.

Imagine a world where all it took to power a car was sunshine and tap water. That isn't a pipe dream but, rather, the reality of emerging technology that someday could turn your house into a personal, zero-emission gas station.

.

It's called a residential hydrogen refueler, and only one currently exists. Tucked away on the Torrance campus of Honda R&D behind a security guard and a locked gate, the sleek system is designed to power Honda's limited-production FCX Clarity sedan and other hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The system uses solar panels — a 6-kilowatt array of thin-film cells, to be precise — to power a machine the size of a mini-refrigerator that sips in H2O and breaks it apart into hydrogen and oxygen gases. The hydrogen is then pumped directly into the car, which uses the gas to generate electricity for the car's electric motor. No fossil fuels, no pollution, no additional strain on the power grid — and all done at home.

.

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

How far into the future? About five years, according to statements from automakers and a “memorandum of understanding” signed in September by manufacturers such as Daimler and fuel providers including Shell. Honda, General Motors, Toyota, Mercedes and other auto manufacturers have indicated they likely will begin selling hydrogen-powered production cars to consumers in 2015.

.

How quickly will the home hydrogen refueler follow, and how much will it cost? Honda won't say. But it's a promising technology that advances the trend toward consumers detaching from a fossil-fuel economy and becoming more self-sufficient. It's a future in which American homes are less reliant on a large-scale infrastructure — power grids, water districts and the like — and provide at least some of the solutions themselves via solar panels, gray-water systems, rainwater harvesting and home-based car-refueling technology.

Other hydrogen fuel-cell cars already exist. Made by GM, Toyota and Mercedes, they currently are available only for lease, as with the Clarity. Most of the lessees are in “station clusters,” specific geographic areas that have hydrogen fueling stations. It's the scarcity of these hydrogen stations that's seen as one of the biggest barriers to mass adoption of fuel-cell cars.

By contrast, electric cars that can plug into a home power outlet are getting most of the attention these days with the imminent arrival of the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. But the enthusiasm of hydrogen-car drivers, coupled with the promise of hydrogen stations at home, indicates these fuel-cell vehicles could also be a player.

“They're going to have to break into my garage if they think they're getting this car back in three years,” said Clarity driver Jack Cusick, 41. The assistant principal of Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach was talking about the burgundy-colored Honda he's been leasing for the last 18 months and will need to return in January 2012.

Cusick is one of 20 participants in the Clarity program, which began in July 2008. Almost 80,000 people worldwide had applied.

Equipped with seat warmers, satellite radio, dual climate controls and radar-activated brakes, among other features, the Clarity is luxurious. It's also outrageously expensive — most likely worth at least $1 million because of the high cost of developing the technology and low volume of cars in production. Honda won't reveal a price for an individual vehicle, but when these cars are finally available for sale, their cost will be comparable with luxury sedans.

Cusick's lease is steep: $600 a month. He still finds the price reasonable because it includes regular maintenance, comprehensive and collision insurance as well as the cost of hydrogen. Many of the state's weights and measures departments haven't yet determined what to charge for a gaseous fuel measured in pounds of pressure rather than gallons of liquid.

Sure, Cusick has heard fielded inquiries about whether the car is likely to explode — jokes he counters with questions about the Exxon Valdez.

“It's not like their cars run on Pepsi or something,” said Cusick, who refuels at the hydrogen station at UC Irvine.

“I'm driving a car that spits out nothing but water.”

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CALIBRE68

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The UC Irvine location is one of 21 hydrogen stations in California, 17 of which are in Southern California, and only six of which are in active use. Those sites include a Shell station in West Los Angeles, where many of the fuel-cell drivers are clustered. Four other hydrogen stations are scheduled to open later this year in Torrance, Newport Beach, Harbor City and Fountain Valley, allowing the Clarity lease program to expand by 180 more cars. The cost of installing each hydrogen station is roughly the same as a gas station, between $1 million and $2 million, according to a Honda spokesman.

“The vehicles have progressed more quickly than the fuel providers,” said Tim Brown, technology manager for sustainable transportation at UC Irvine. “The cars are marketable, but the question is the fueling.”

Part of Brown's research involves the siting of future hydrogen stations, which he says don't need to be nearly as prevalent as gas stations. “If you optimize where you put them, eight hydrogen stations can ensure the same level of service as 34 gas stations,” he says.

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............

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Jon Landau stops by the Shell station in West Los Angeles to fuel up his Clarity at least once a week. He pulls up to the pump near his exit off the 405 Freeway and kills the car's quiet electric motor. After entering a code into the digital display at the pump, he connects the nozzle to the car, twisting the connector to form a tight seal. Landau says it takes about 50% more time to fill his Clarity than a gas-powered car, but the experience comes with a benefit: no smelly fingers.

“I've found I can get between 230 and 240 miles to the tank,” said Landau, a producer of “Avatar” who lives in Sherman Oaks, commutes to an office in Santa Monica and occasionally travels to San Diego. “There's no trip I can't make and get back here,” said Landau, who initially leased the Clarity thinking he would use it only for commuting. Now he drives it more often than his Mercedes 550S.

“I can't tell you today that hydrogen is the answer or that ethanol is the answer or pure electric is the answer, but it's programs like these that will lead to the answer,” said Landau, who was attracted to the Clarity out of concern for his kids' future and the environment. “Making a difference starts with one small step, and if enough people take that same small step, someday we're all a bit forward. Reducing our reliance on foreign oil sources, or offshore oil sources, it's very evident we have to look toward alternatives.”

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RETO KURMANN

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Hydrogen, as a fuel, can be generated many ways, including via electrolysis with solar panels (such as the Honda system) or wind turbines, as well as with “bio gas” generated by wastewater treatment plants — a system that will be the source of the new hydrogen fueling station in Fountain Valley.

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According to UC Irvine's Brown, the waste gas from sewage treatment plants and landfills in Southern California

holds the potential to power 3 million of the region's 10 million cars.

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According to Steve Ellis, alternative fuel manager for American Honda Motor Co., the ability to refuel a vehicle at home ranks third among the values consumers see of owning an electric vehicle. Honda's decision to pursue a hydrogen home fueler followed its involvement with a Canadian company that makes a natural-gas home fueler.

“We saw the same possibility could exist for hydrogen,” Ellis said of the solar-powered hydrogen system. The home fueler represents the evolution of technology Honda developed almost a decade ago. Twenty-five percent more energy efficient than the electrolysis system it devised in 2001, the home fueler no longer requires a mechanical compressor or storage tanks. It operates with a new high-efficiency solar array sized to fit an average American roof and able to support typical driving habits, about 10,000 miles per year.

“When I was a kid, they told us in the 21st century we'd have cars that fly. I don't have a car that flies, but this is good enough for me,” Clarity driver Cusick said. Fueling cars at home is the future, he said. “Now that I've had the opportunity to not only see a hydrogen car working but actually drive it, I don't see any reason to go back to anything else.”

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IMAGES HOSTED ON FLICKR

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SUSAN CARPENTER

LOSANGELESTIMES

[clop]

what is their problem... poeple complain about traffic congestion yet when the city talks about connecting the freeway you hear complaints that too much polution and noise... ok.. how about a tunnel no that wont solve anything... wtf just build the above ground freeway, you can't win these idiots... it's LA... we need to alleviate the traffic congestions!

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

if you go above ground, you are repeating past mistakes and would ruin numerous fantastic and beautiful neighborhoods. its a shame that it happened in the past, and we should work towards fixing those gashes and mistakes, but lets not do the same thing here.

I would be ok with a tunnel, but only after all the Measure R rail lines + a few more (Pink Line, Burbank - Glendale - Pasadena) are completed.