710 Freeway – What to Do with Los Angeles’ “Diesel Death Zone”?

By John Kristensen of Kristensen, LLP posted in Truck Accident on Friday, March 2, 2018.

The 710 Freeway has long been the backbone of Los Angeles and Southern California’s freight network, enabling tens of thousands of trucks and commercial vehicles to haul furniture, clothing, and all manner of goods from the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports to the retail store or warehousing they’re destined for. As you may expect, this volume of traffic, particularly when it comprises so many heavy goods vehicles, has taken its toll on the freeway, leaving it damaged and in need of extensive repairs. Aside from the condition of the road’s surface, regular bottlenecks are increasingly an issue, as the road struggles to accommodate around 300% of the trucking traffic its creators had predicted. Of course, a high level of commercial traffic also brings environmental concerns for those living near the freeway. The question now is, how to improve the 710 Freeway?

Should the 710 Freeway Be Repaired, Extended, or Replaced?

According to officials tasked with tackling the various issues of the 710 Freeway, there are several potential options available, each carrying its own advantages and disadvantages. Only two of these possibilities will be considered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and both are sure to involve evicting a large number of residents and business owners from the area, to allow the construction of additional lanes.

The options currently under consideration are:

1. The construction of a zero-emission vehicle lane between Ocean Boulevard and the 60 Freeway, as well as truck-only lanes enabling truckers to pass traffic at certain points on the 710
2. Building four elevated truck-only lanes to run parallel to the existing 710, alongside improvements and repairs to interchanges and ramps

Both solutions will be costly and disruptive, and it has not yet been set in stone that either will actually come to fruition.

As Los Angeles truck accident attorneys, the frequency of such incidents on the city’s roads is concerning, and any solution that may reduce collisions will be welcome.

Truck Accidents in Los Angeles

Truck accidents are a daily occurrence all around Los Angeles, bringing chaos to the road network, and inflicting potentially catastrophic injuries and damages on other motorists and their property. The size of trucks, tankers, and other commercial vehicles means they have the potential to cause significantly more damage than an accident involving only cars, a fact which is all too apparent when representing victims of Los Angeles truck accidents.

These truck accidents can occur for a variety of reasons, perhaps including:

• Distracted driving
• Tired truck drivers, who have not had sufficient rest break while on shift
• Inexperienced or inadequately trained truck drivers
• Unrealistic schedules leaving insufficient time for truckers to sleep
• Unsecured cargo, or a load which has not been properly secured

Whatever the reason behind a truck accident, the consequences can be devastating. If you have been injured, or suffered damages, due to a Los Angeles truck accident, call us today on 310-984-1297 to find out how an expert Los Angeles truck accident attorney could help you.