Downey says it opposes 605 Freeway widening proposals

DOWNEY — The City of Downey says it opposes a preliminary plan by Metro and Caltrans to expand the 605 Freeway, which would potentially result in the acquisition and demolition of hundreds of Downey homes. 

Metro said it is “in the early planning stages” of widening the 605, adding two lanes across a 16-mile stretch of the freeway. 

According to StreetsblogLA, which first reported the story, Metro is considering three expansion options. Most of the plans would require the state to acquire and then demolish nearly 250 Downey homes located near the 5 Freeway to accommodate the widening.

Metro released a statement Wednesday addressing concerns over the project.

“Before going any further, we want to be abundantly clear: Metro has made no decisions about this project, which is still in the early planning stages. Nor have any decisions been made about property acquisitions,” Metro said in the statement. “The project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report (DEIS/R) will be released in early 2021 and will provide the communities along this corridor with information about the project’s benefits and impacts — as well as ways to potentially avoid or mitigate those impacts.”

The City of Downey also released a statement Wednesday, declaring its opposition to the freeway expansion under the current plan. 

“The City is supportive of the improvements of the I-5 freeway, which will bring transportation, connectivity and economic benefits to Downey,” Mayor Blanca Pacheco said in the statement. “However, we cannot support an alternative that will negatively impact hundreds of homes in our community.”

Below is the city’s full statement: 

“The City of Downey has been working closely with the City of Santa Fe Springs, Gateway Cities Council of Governments (GCCOG) and the I-5 Joint Powers Authority (JPA), to get Metro and Caltrans to minimize the number of homes that may potentially be taken as part of the I-605 Corridor Improvement Project, which includes widening of the I-5 freeway from the I-605 interchange to the Rio Hondo River. 

Presently, the draft environmental document circulated by Metro for the I-5 segment of the project shows only two main alternatives: 1) “No build” and 2) Maximum or full standard improvements. The “no build” alternative will not construct any improvements, thus will have no right-of-way impacts.

However, the maximum or full standard build alternative will potentially impact hundreds of homes in Downey, which the City is opposed to.

In an effort to alleviate the negative impacts, Downey, Santa Fe Springs, GCCOG and I-5 JPA have requested Metro to include in the environmental document a reasonable alternative that will minimize right-of-way impacts in our communities. The agencies believe that the environmental document should include a locally preferred alternative that will provide capacity enhancements and improved operations, while minimizing right-of-way impacts. As a result of these efforts, Metro has agreed to delay the release of the draft environmental document to early 2021.

With the delay in releasing the environmental document, it may be several years before a locally preferred alternative and corresponding right-of-way impacts associated with this project will be determined. Furthermore, only the environmental documentation phase of the project is fully funded, and no funding has been approved for design, right-of-way acquisition and construction.

“The City is supportive of the improvements of the I-5 freeway, which will bring transportation, connectivity and economic benefits to Downey,” said Mayor Blanca Pacheco. “However, we cannot support an alternative that will negatively impact hundreds of homes in our community.”

Mayor Pro Tem Claudia M. Frometa, who is Vice Chair of the I-5 JPA Policy Board, added, “The City will continue to work with local agencies and Metro to make sure the best interest of our residents are met and negative impacts to our community are minimized.”

For more information on the I-605 Corridor Improvement Project, please visit the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority website.