Metro and Caltrans had promoted the project as a nearly 2-mile long freeway widening, with an upgraded pedestrian overcrossing - but it has been scaled back to a 1.5 mile widening with no pedestrian component| la.streetsblog.org
To widen the 71, Caltrans has already demolished 15 Westmont homes, with 3 additional homes still threatened - in addition to the 6 homes the agency demolished a decade to make way for the Mission Boulevard Bridge.| la.streetsblog.org
The SR-71 project will convert about 3.5 miles of existing four-lane expressway into an eight-lane freeway. Construction for the first phase - $174 million for just under two miles - is expected to complete in 2024.| la.streetsblog.org
“Highway expansions and car-dependent planning are driving up the cost of living for Californians,” said Hana Creger of The Greenlining Institute. “While state leaders pour billions into widening roads, everyday people are paying the price—through longer commutes, rising transportation costs, and communities pushed further from jobs, schools, and services.”| cal.streetsblog.org
In 2023, the state passed a law to make it easier to build water and clean energy projects. Now some Assemblymembers want it to apply to a highway widening through environmentally sensitive marsh land.| cal.streetsblog.org
