La Verne freeway needed

editorial cartoon by Stephanie Lesniak
editorial cartoon by Stephanie Lesniak

It is 5 p.m. on a Friday. You are driving toward Claremont on Foothill to meet some friends for dinner. At that time, you realize you should have thought twice about taking Foothill Boulevard. Now you are stuck in major traffic and what should have been a 10 minute ride is now 25 minutes.

This scenario illustrates the need for the continuation of the Foothill Freeway through La Verne, Claremont and all points east, a project Caltrans will begin at the end of this year.

Everyone living and working in the area has had to deal with Foothill Boulevard rush hour traffic at one time or another and it is such a pain to drive six miles out of your way just to take the 10 Freeway to get somewhere, as if that is any better. But luckily, those problems will soon be over.

For 38 years, the city of La Verne has fought with Caltrans to build a freeway to run through the city and all that arguing has finally paid off. Caltrans is finally beginning the extension of the Route 30 Freeway.

Route 30 will close the gap between the existing 210 Freeway in La Verne and Interstate 215 in San Bernardino. The 30 Freeway will be 28.2 miles long and have three general purpose lanes in both directions and carpool lanes, stretching the distance all the way from Los Angeles to San Bernardino counties.

Caltrans is hoping to improve traffic safety and clean up the environment with less pollution through carpooling.

The total cost for the project will be $1 billion, which will be paid by local, state and federal taxes.

The project will begin at the end of this year and should be done by the year 2010.

With the constant increase of traffic, by 2010 it is likely that the opening of the new artery will be much anticipated and needed to ease an ever-increasing traffic flow.

An off-ramp for Route 30 in La Verne will be at Fruit Street, but off-ramp locations in Claremont are still being negotiated. A Towne Avenue off-ramp is also a strong possibility.

Some may say another freeway is a nuisance that will just take more traffic through another city. But at least it will be getting 43,000 vehicles off La Verne streets as employment and population continues to increase in the area. The new freeway is expected to even increase business revenues.

Another point that should not be forgotten is the great accomplishment the city of La Verne had, getting the Route 30 Freeway depressed approximately 6 feet below ground level. Though it will not be a tunnel, it will be tucked under the city, and it will greatly resemble the nearby 10 Freeway, being less loud and obtrusive to La Verne.

Because the freeway is solely a Caltrans project, the city of La Verne and the other cities that the freeway will run through often have had their hands tied in the planning of the freeway. The city of La Verne, however, is to be commended for the time and energy taken to get the freeway depressed below the city. Some nearby cities will not have this luxury.

It is no easy task to put a freeway through any established city. Obviously, people are going to be upset, houses will need to be taken out and the city atmospheres will change. We are lucky, however, to live in a place where city employees care enough to make the adjustments easier for the resident of La Verne, as we face the fact that we need a freeway.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

Stephanie Lesniak

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