In the final weeks of public comment for the Orange County Transportation Authority’s I-405 Improvement Project, Fourth District Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell is making another push to ensure that its impact on Long Beach is reviewed.

Last Wednesday, O’Donnell led the 27-city strong Gateway Council of Governments (COG) in opposition to the environmental planning documents for the freeway’s future widening project. And at tonight’s City Council meeting, O’Donnell has placed an item on the supplemental agenda that requests an immediate strategy be initiated to address concerns in the planning process of the potential OCTA 405 project.

A draft environmental impact statement/draft environmental impact report was released for public review and comment on May 18 along with a schedule of hearings. The period for public comment ends July 17 and to date, OCTA has not held any community meetings regarding this project in Long Beach.

The improvements proposed are meant to relieve congestion along a heavily used 14-mile stretch of the 405 freeway between SR-73 and the I-605 interchange, which is within Orange County lines. According to O’Donnell, however, the DEIR/EIS lacks regional coordination and does not address the impact the plan will have on freeway ramps and major streets in neighboring Long Beach.

“Plans to widen the 405 Freeway have the potential to negatively impact our cities and our concerns must be addressed,”O’Donnell said. “Long Beach is headed for a major traffic jam and needs to be protected.”

Three different proposals are outlined in the project’s DEIR/EIS. The first would simply add another lane in each direction along much of the area, the second would add two standard lanes in each direction and the third would add new lanes, but also incorporate toll lanes into the existing infrastructure.

O’Donnell’s hope is that the City’s concerns are made a part of OCTA’s planning process and the potential traffic impacts of this widening project on Long Beach are addressed.

The I-405 Improvement project DEIR/EIS is available from the OCTA website. Comments may be submitted by mail or email through July 17.