Big bucks are being pumped into Long Beach and East LA, and not a moment too soon. The LA Metro has rolled out a draft for an ambitious financial shot in the arm, the "Long Beach-East LA Corridor" Investment Plan, targeting the beleaguered 710 South freeway. Supervisor Janice Hahn, the woman who's been gunning for change since the freeway's expansion hit the skids back in 2022, is all jazzed up about it.
"The 710 freeway is a vital artery for the communities it runs through, but it has not always been the best neighbor," Hahn said, acknowledging the dicey past and eyeing a brighter, less congested future. She's flipped the script, redirecting those scrapped expansion funds not just to tweak the existing tarmac, but to also dish out serious green on local street repairs, chasing away the smog, and decking out transit options for the locals – and that's over a million strong in the corridor's 'hood.
According to the statement from Hahn, "Today we welcome a new chapter for the 710 and for these communities." She gave props to the task force and community leaders for cooking up a plan that aims to rev the engine of the corridor's infrastructure while fattening the wallets and bettering the lives of its residents.
Not content with just dropping the plan, the powers that be at Metro are hitting the streets – and the screens – looking to chew the fat with the community folk about this multi-billion-dollar pipe dream at four virtual and physical meet-and-greets. With a finger on the pulse of the community, the various wheels of industry from ports, to rails, and a posse of local bigwigs, have been huddling for over two years, hoping to turn this lemon of a corridor into some sweet, sweet lemonade.
