Environmental study plans to spend $2M to consider 10 Freeway removal
The city of Santa Monica, California is facing controversy after accepting a $2 million grant to study the possibility of covering a major stretch of the 10 freeway with a giant park, or potentially removing it altogether. The Santa Monica City Council recently approved a resolution to explore ways to reconnect neighborhoods that were divided by the freeway, with a focus on addressing historical harm and environmental hazards.
The study will specifically look at the impact of the freeway on the historically Black Pico Neighborhood and residents who were displaced when the roadway was originally built. Critics of the proposal argue that it seems more like a taxpayer-funded fantasy than a serious transportation plan. The resolution allows officials to examine the trade-offs between covering the freeway with a park and alternatives such as removing the freeway entirely.
One proposed option is to construct a massive land bridge over the freeway between 11th and 20th streets, creating a park above the roadway. However, the proposal is still in the conceptual stage, with Senior Park Planner Antonio Lopez describing it as a design project without a specific design.
Councilmember Ellis Raskin highlighted the impact of the freeway’s construction on minority communities, particularly Black and Latino families whose homes were demolished in the 1950s. Raskin emphasized the need to focus on the long-term goal of removing the freeway and replacing it with parks, a grand boulevard, or other neighborhood-serving uses.
The proposal has sparked backlash from residents who see it as a waste of money. Many have expressed concerns about the potential impact on traffic and safety if the freeway is removed or reduced near 20th Street. Despite the controversy, the study is still in the early stages, and no final recommendations are expected until July 2029, with grant funding available through 2030.
The city’s move to study the feasibility of removing part of the 10 freeway follows a previous apology issued in 2022, acknowledging the targeting of neighborhoods of color for condemnation in the 1950s. The study will continue to explore ways to address historical injustices and reconnect communities divided by the freeway, although the final outcome remains uncertain.
