State Route 710, a freeway heavily used by commuters and trucks hauling goods from the nation’s busiest port complex, runs 23 miles from Long Beach to an abrupt end just east of Los Angeles. Activists in tiny South Pasadena have fought successfully against proposals to close the 4 1/2-mile gap between the end of the 710 and Interstate 210.
Now, they’re gearing up for the next battle, as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board considers whether to pursue the concept of digging a tunnel to close the missing link in the region’s freeway network. … Tunnel advocates are floating the idea of inviting private investors to put up billions of dollars to build it, and charge drivers a toll.