Adding elevated truck lanes, truck tolls, shifting port truckers’ schedules and making interchanges more truck-friendly are among the suggestions being considered to deal with the congested I-710/Long Beach Freeway in the Los Angeles area.
The Los Angeles Times reports that a coalition of government agencies came up with a dozen options, which is to be narrowed to five finalists by a committee of local officials. A final plan will be chosen next spring.
Tolls for truckers was suggested as one way to help pay for a fix.
The interstate was designed in the 1950s under the assumption that trucks would make up 5 percent of the traffic. But today, trucks represent about 13 percent of the freeway’s traffic, thanks to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. One estimate says that truck traffic will nearly triple by 2020 because of increased trade with Pacific Rim countries.
Among the 12 alternatives:
Do nothing beyond the pavement and median improvements already under way.
Encourage the ports and truck drivers to shift their schedules to keep trucks off the freeway during rush hour.
Improve freeway ramps and widen adjacent roads so truckers can navigate more easily.
Improve freeway interchanges and add truck-only connector ramps in some locations.
Build special truck bypass lanes that allow truckers to avoid congestion at major interchanges.
Add two elevated truck lanes in each direction along the median of the freeway.
