Alameda Corridor Agency to Provide Consulting Services for Long Beach Freeway Improvement Program.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES COUNTY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2002

The joint powers authority that built the Alameda Corridor freight rail expressway agreed Thursday to provide consulting services for the organization currently developing a comprehensive program to improve Interstate 710 (Long Beach Freeway).

The Governing Board of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) voted to provide consulting services to the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (COG) for the Long Beach Freeway improvement project. The COG Executive Committee approved the same consulting services agreement on Wednesday.

The agreement calls for ACTA to review the I-710 Major Corridor Study and evaluate and comment on the proposed institutional and financial strategies for program delivery, including the formation of a new construction agency to oversee construction of I-710 improvements, as well as financing options, outreach and advocacy programs and other elements that should be included. The COG will pay ACTA $50,000 for the consulting services.

"Anyone who has driven the 710 freeway knows that it can't currently, or in the future, handle the volume of cars and trucks traveling on it," said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, Chairwoman of the ACTA Governing Board. "Given ACTA's history of successful problem solving, we look forward to assisting however we can to see that the project benefits the entire region."

Long Beach Vice Mayor Frank Colonna, Vice Chairman of the ACTA Governing Board, said improving conditions on the Long Beach Freeway is critical not only to improving the flow of cargo to and from the ports but also to enhancing the quality of life in cities along its route. "Reducing traffic congestion, specifically port-related truck congestion, is a critical issue on multiple levels for the future of our region and for Long Beach in particular," said Colonna, who also serves as Chairman of the I-710 Oversight Policy Committee.

Richard Powers, the COG's Executive Director, said his agency requested ACTA's assistance because of ACTA's success in delivering the $2.4 billion Alameda Corridor project on time and on budget. "Given its track record of working across multiple jurisdictions, we believe ACTA will provide valuable insight and assistance in establishing a proposed I-710 Construction Authority and important advice on how to finance construction."

Together with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the California Department of Transportation and the Southern California Association of Governments, the Gateway Cities Council of Governments is nearing completion of the I-710 Major Corridor Study. It is a comprehensive two-year effort to determine the best strategies to improve travel conditions along Interstate 710 between the Port of Long Beach and State Route 60 (Pomona Freeway) near downtown Los Angeles. Five alternatives have been selected for further study, emphasizing elements that separate truck traffic from street traffic, including dedicated truck lanes. Selection of a locally preferred alternative is expected in Spring 2003. Construction of some preliminary elements could begin as early as December 2003.

Improving travel conditions along I-710 is important to the regional and national economies. I-710 carries approximately 34,000 trucks per day, most of them hauling cargo to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The two busiest ports in the country handle more than $200 billion a year in cargo and provide related economic benefits. Truck trips are projected to increase to 91,000 per day by 2020.

The $2.4 billion Alameda Corridor opened on time and on budget in April 2002. It is a 20-mile freight rail expressway linking the ports to the railroad yards near downtown Los Angeles. The Alameda Corridor is designed to facilitate booming international trade through the nation's busiest port complex while minimizing impacts on local communities. By consolidating four branch rail lines into an expressway, the Alameda Corridor has cut travel times of cargo trains by more than half; by eliminating more than 200 at-grade railroad crossings, it reduces traffic congestion and air and noise pollution.

The Alameda Corridor was built by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA), a joint powers authority governed by the cities and Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. It is operated by the ports, The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.