Ports of Long Beach and LA… Freeway traffic relief

When Pat Haslam of KOCE interviewed Curt Pringle and myself in Oct I made an off camera comment regarding moving the cargo arriving at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. My suggestion was to remove some of the heavy truck traffic from Orange County freeways by sending these diesel trucks up the 710 freeway to connect with one of LA’s freeways as they transport their cargo to distribution centers in the Inland Empire or other states.

Page B-2 of today’s LA Times contains a major article by Staff Writer Dan Weikel on this same concept utilizing maglev trains. Their headline reads: “Ports considering maglev trains to cut smog.”

I like the proposal. “Capable of traveling 90 mph, the trains would run on elevated guideways built in highway medians or along utility rights of way.”
That’s forward thinking. Having experienced a Japanese maglev train I can strongly support this means of moving cargo and passengers alike.
We can discuss cost and who pays for it if and when this concept moves closer to becoming a reality.


About Larry Gilbert