State Route 710 Northern Stub Relinquishment

Project Overview

Through a collaborative multi-year effort with Caltrans, the relinquishment of the SR 710 Northern Stub transportation network, from Union Street to Columbia Street was approved by the California Transportation Commission on June 29, 2022 and was transferred to the City of Pasadena on August 15, 2022.

Since 2019, the City of Pasadena has been working with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to transfer control of the transportation facilities within the State Route 710 (SR 710) North “stub” area to the City of Pasadena. This stub area is approximately between Union Street on the north, Columbia Street on the south, St John Avenue on the west and Pasadena Ave on the east. The focus of this webpage is to summarize that process.

In December 2019, the City of Pasadena secured the services of a consultant team lead by PointC that included Iteris, Inc. and Kimley-Horn Associates to complete a technical feasibility assessment. The purpose of the Technical Feasibility Assessment was to determine the technical feasibility of converting the existing “freeway-to-freeway” interchange connectors into “freeway to local street” on and off ramps to Interstate 210 and State Route 134. The Technical Feasibility Assessment demonstrated that this conversion is feasible and does not compromise the safety or operations of the state and interstate highway facilities, utilizing existing and future (2045) traffic volumes, collision data, and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) data.

This Technical Feasibility Assessment did not identify the future land use, nor does it define the future local street network for this area. That process will occur as the next step to revision and redefine the land use for this area of roughly sixty acres. In addition, this study does not address Caltrans owned homes along the corridor.

SR-710 North Stub Historical Background

This section of the SR-710 North was constructed over several years in the early 1970s and displaced at least 4,000 residents and destroyed 1,500 homes.  A majority of the homes were owned or rented by low income and minority residents.

SR-710 North Stub Relinquishment Background

On November 18, 1964, the California Highway Commission determined the routing for the final five (5) miles of the State Route (SR) 7 freeway through the communities of El Sereno, South Pasadena, and Pasadena to complete the adoption of the Long Beach Freeway. The SR 7 is now known as the SR 710.
While the freeway never materialized in El Sereno and South Pasadena, the SR 710 northern interchange was constructed in the City of Pasadena in the early 1970s, resulting in the Northern Stub. This stub displaced thousands of residents and divided a residential community from an active central business district.

Following decades of planning and discussion regarding the future of the SR710 freeway connection, in the November 26, 2018 State Route 710 North Project Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIR/EIS), Caltrans identified the Transportation System Management/Transportation Demand Management (TSM/TDM) as the locally preferred alternative. Identifying the TSM/TDM as the locally preferred alternative facilitated local, multi-modal capacity enhancement projects to advance and be implemented, however, this action alone did not preclude the possibility of a future 710 North freeway connection.

As a result of legislation introduced by State Senator Portantino (SB 7) and Assemblymember Holden (AB 29), the California Street and Highways Code, Section 622.3 was amended to indicate that the CTC may make a determination to relinquish the portion of SR 710 that is contained within the City of Pasadena to the City if Caltrans and the City enter into an agreement providing for that relinquishment. This relinquishment eliminates the possibility of a future 710 North freeway connection.

Through a collaborative multi-year effort with Caltrans, the relinquishment of the SR 710 Northern Stub transportation network, from Union Street to Columbia Street was approved by the California Transportation Commission on June 29, 2022 and was transferred to the City of Pasadena on August 15, 2022.

SR710 REPURPOSING TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT AND SUPPLEMENTAL TRAFFIC ANALYSIS

In November 2019, the City of Pasadena and Caltrans initiated an ongoing working group and coordination effort aimed at determining the technical feasibility of converting the existing freeway to freeway interchange into a local street network with connections to I-210 and SR-134.

The technical feasibility assessment that included both a traffic analysis and an initial engineering analysis for this area was completed in January 2021. The feasibility assessment did not assume any land use considerations for the project area, but rather focused on demonstrating that eliminating the freeway-to-freeway interchange ramps would not impact the operations or safety of Interstate 210 and State Route 134.

On January 11, 2021, Caltrans District 7 Director, affirmed that based on the analysis conducted to this point, modifying the system from a freeway-to-freeway connection to a local-to-freeway connection would not create a significant effect on state highway and/or federal highway operations or safety. As identified in the technical feasibility assessment, additional technical analysis was initiated as part of the immediate next step.

A supplemental traffic analysis was conducted and included developing a more defined analysis through a Vissim simulation model, intersection and freeway ramp queuing analysis and a freeway ramp weaving analysis. The supplemental traffic analysis re-affirmed that any potential modifications to the system from a freeway-to-freeway connection to a local-to-freeway connection would not create a significant effect on state highway and/or federal highway operations or safety.  Caltrans concurred with the findings of the supplemental traffic analysis, allowing the City to initiate the formal relinquishment process with Caltrans.

The Technical Feasibility Assessment can be found here:  SR 710 N Stub Repurposing Technical Feasibility Assessment

RELINQUISHMENT AREA

The relinquishment area is shown in the Relinquishment Area Map, found here. The map identifies three areas for relinquishment. The north-most area identified for relinquishment is the Caltrans right-of-way generally bound by Union Street to the north, Pasadena Avenue to the east, California Boulevard to the south and St John Avenue/Havendale Drive to the west. This area is identified as Segment 15 on the attached map. This area proposed to be relinquished includes four overcrossings/bridge structures; Union Street, Colorado Boulevard, Green Street and Del Mar Boulevard. The area does not include the parcels with residential and institutional tenants immediately north of California Boulevard.

The middle section of Caltrans property identified for relinquishment is the wishbone area comprised of the roadway and sidewalk connection of Pasadena Avenue and St John Ave generally between Bellefontaine Street on the north and Wigmore Drive on the south. This area is identified as Segment 11 – Segment 14 on the attached map. It includes the existing roadway, sidewalk, landscaping, utility area and unimproved areas of the transportation network.

The south section of Caltrans property identified for relinquishment is the existing sidewalk, driveways, landscaping and utility area extending up to 5-feet west of and 11-feet east of the Pasadena Ave right-if-way within the transportation network from Bellefontaine Street to Columbia Avenue, identified as Segment 1 – Segment 10 on the attached map.

These three sections make up the transportation network of the SR 710 northern stub that was relinquished to the City of Pasadena. In addition nine traffic signals were relinquished to the City as part of this relinquishment agreement. The City has assumed full maintenance, ownership, responsibility, control and liability of the nine traffic signals.

Next Steps