There are three possible approaches the county could take to widening the Interstate 405 freeway.
Seal Beach officials have drafted a letter that calls the Environmental Impact report for the project inadequate and says Seal Beach concerns have been ignored.
The letter came before the City Council Monday, July 9, for approval before Mayor Michael Levitt signs it. The letter will be sent to the Orange County Transportation Authority to protest the freeway expansion project.
The public has until July 17 to respond to the draft EIR for the project.
According to a staff report by Sean Crumby, assistant city manager and director of Public Works, the I-405 widening project was included as a commitment to financing transportation projects with the approval of Orange County voters of Measure M in 1990 and Measure M2 in 2006.
Options
The OC Transportation Authority has come up with three alternative versions of the freeway widening project—four if you count the “no project” option.
The no project option means that once the State Route-22 West Connector project is done, free expansion stops.
The other options are:
Alternative One: Build one general purpose lane in each direction between Euclid Street and I-605.
Alternative Two: Build two general purpose lanes in each direction between Brookhurst/Euclid Street and I-605.
Alternative Three: Build one general purpose lane between Euclid Street and I-605 and one toll lane in each direction between State Route 73 and State Route 22 east of I-405.
According to the Crumby report, Seal Beach probably lacks authority over the project. However, if the I-405 is widened, Seal Beach might have to change its General Plan “to reflect the creation of a substandard right-of-way along Almond Avenue,” Crumby wrote.
Crumby said the sound wall separating the I-405 from College Park East would have to be moved under two of the three “alternative” freeway expansion projects.
According to Crumby, the move would permanently narrow Almond Avenue. “Almond Avenue serves as the only point of ingress and egress to many residents within that neighborhood,” Crumby wrote.
Over 200 Seal Beach residents attended two community meetings on June 12 and June 26, according to the Crumby report.
Residents who attended those meetings made it clear they want the sound wall to stay where it is, do not want to see increased traffic congestion along the freeway, and are concerned about air quality and the toll road proposal.
The Levitt letter
The letter to be signed by Mayor Levitt said the Environmental Impact Report for the I-405 project was inadequate and failed to address adverse conditions that would be created by the project.
“By examining only a short segment of the freeway and ignoring the consequences of those adverse conditions, substantive issues affecting Seal Beach are all but ignored,” the letter said.
“The deficiencies of the existing EIR/EIS are so substantial as to prevent the city from the project understanding the consequences of the three ‘build’ alternatives on both the natural and human environment, ensuring its constituents that the project’s impacts are effectively mitigated and allowing the city to support one course of action over another,” the letter said.
“Declaration of a formal position by the city of Seal Beach is premature and remains dependent upon the completion of an adequate environmental review,” the letter said.The letter then went on to say that Seal Beach opposed alternatives two and three for the 405 project. “Seal Beach takes seriously these concerns and is considering all options towards having those concerns addressed including outright opposition of the project,” the letter said.
Councilman Gary Miller, who represents College Park East, also wanted the fact that two gas lines would have to be moved, added to the letter.
College Park East resident Patty Campbell said the fact the EIR virtually ignored the 405 project’s impacts on the neighborhood made the environmental document inadequate.
Campbell also objected to the proposed installation of toll lanes on the I-405.
“Freeways are supposed to be free,” Campbell said.
“This EIR is a bad document,” she said. She encouraged all College Park East residents to write in protest of the project.
Councilman David Sloan also expressed concern about the project’s potential impact on the residents of College Park West.
