No doubt about it: the 710 freeway is a truck route to move goods from Long Beach through our city. It’s not for Alhambrans (since there are no exits along the route and the toll charge per car one way will divert 60,000 cars/day per CalTrans/Metro’s estimate onto city streets, and 85% of the traffic getting off at Valley are headed to local destinations and would not even need to take the tunnel if it were there, according to Beyond the 710 ), and it’s not for Los Angeles commuters (since it may only save a total of 13 of 100 drivers in the region 2.5 minutes from their commute, according to CalTrans/Metro). What’s it for?  Freight traffic.

Read more here: KCET: The 710 Freeway: A History of America’s Most Important Freeway

“This means that public monies were utilized for projects that would greatly enhance private companies, at the cost of public resources that could be utilized for community housing, parks, and other items that were diminished due to freeway- and port-related activities in Long Beach.”