Meeting_Body
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
OCTOBER 22, 2020
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS SOLIS, HAHN, GARCIA, FASANA, GARCETTI, AND BONIN
I-605 Corridor Improvement Project Build Alternatives
The I-605 Corridor Improvement Project seeks to modify and/or widen 16 miles of freeway including segments on the I-605, I-10, SR-60, I-5, and I-105 in the Gateway and San Gabriel Valley Subregions. The Project scope currently includes several alternatives that would build various combinations of additional auxiliary, general purpose, high-occupancy vehicle, and high-occupancy toll lanes along the corridor. Preliminary reports for the project suggest that hundreds of partial and full property acquisitions will be necessary in addition to hundreds of temporary and permanent easements, which would affect unincorporated communities as well as the cities of Baldwin Park, Industry, Pico Rivera, El Monte, South El Monte, Whittier, Downey, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs. The Project alignment moves largely through disadvantaged communities experiencing housing and homelessness crises that have only been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic.
On September 2, 2020, the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (GCCOG) sent a letter to Metro's Chief Executive Officer requesting to delay the release of the I-605 Corridor Improvement Project Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) and to incorporate a local option alternative that reflects the Guiding Principles adopted by the SR-91/I-605/I-405 Corridor Cities Committee in October 2007. The GCCOG's Guiding Principles include a provision that new freeway construction, including the addition of lanes, should be confined to existing State right-of-way in order to preserve and enhance local economies and environments. In response to this letter and to concerns raised by other stakeholders, Metro has agreed to delay the release of the EIS/EIR until early 2021. However, the impacts anticipated for the Project necessitate a ...
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