Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Chris Holden’s legislation that would eliminate any future possibility for the 710 tunnel, Assembly Bill 29, passed the Legislature today after votes in both the Senate and Assembly Floors. The bill now awaits Governor Newsom’s signature.
“We’re just one step away from burying the tunnel idea for good,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “The concept of changing the Highway Code came directly from the community and I’m looking forward to seeing this through till the end.”
Assembly Bill 29 specifies that State Route 710 is from Route 1 to Route 10, abolishing the freeway tunnel once and for all. The legislation will close loopholes in both Caltrans’ Final Environmental Impact Report and the 2017 Los Angeles Metro motion that drops the tunnel concept for strictly financial reasons.
Assembly Bill 29 is the result of a three year legislative effort by Assemblymember Holden that began with the introduction of AB 287 in 2017 as well as AB 533 in 2018. Numerous discussions with Caltrans, Metro, and most importantly, members of the community, led to the passage of AB 29.
“As our state and cities integrate smart growth and transit oriented development into our evolving transportation infrastructure with an eye towards reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, a victory against the freeway tunnel represents a critical shift in how we envision our new transportation future,” said Holden. “I look forward to supporting local cities as they move forward with their proposals to improve the corridor and generate jobs.”
###