Corralitas Drive: We've Been Through Grading Hell Before

Photo: Kleven, 1960.  Corralitas Drive used to have a secondary outlet to the south on Allesandro Street between Whitmore and Walcott, past modest homes with grassy front yards, where children played beneath large shade trees.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Kleven, 1961.  Within a year, homes were removed (some were moved to other parts of the neighborhood),  trees cut down and the State moved countless thousands of cubic yards of earth from the Red Car Property and other area vacant hillside lots to grade for the 2 & 5 Freeways. 

We've looked at the  photographic history of 2 Freeway through our neighborhood primarily through unique images contributed by long time neighbors of the Red Car Property.  Click here for all our 2 Freeway History posts.
 

SR 2 Freeway Terminus Project: Sounds Like We'll Be Getting A Sidewalk, No Word If It Will Be ADA Compliant

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2013.  Allesandro Street adjacent to the 2 Freeway, from Oak Glen south to somewhere vaguely around Rosebud* will be getting a sound wall that won't be tall enough to shield the upper floor of that apartment building across the street.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

At last night's Echo Park Improvement Association meeting, CalTrans & Metro officials said they would be completing the side walk on Allesandro for the length of the sound wall.  Of course, there's no word on if it will be wide enough to actually walk on without stepping into the street to get around telephone poles. (CalTrans lost a lawsuit a few years back & they are supposed to include ADA compliant sidewalks in projects like this that are adjacent to City streets.)

There was no real news at the meeting other than the sidewalk.  It sounds like they are about a year behind schedule as they handed out a winter 2013 newsletter.  They are just putting Phase 1A out for bids.  No word on when Phase 1B (sound walls) will begin.  

They say the specs are finished for the sound walls but failed to bring them to the meeting.  *They couldn't tell us exactly where the southern end of the sound wall will be - a question we've been asking for at least 2 years. 

More info: Metro SR2 Freeway Terminus Project

Click here for all our sound wall related posts.

SR 2 Freeway Terminus Project: Update TONIGHT At EPIA Meeting, 7PM

Photo: Smith Family Archive, 1961.  The 2 Freeway looking southbound from the top of the Corralitas Public Staircase.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

CalTrans & Metro will present the latest 2 Freeway Terminus project update to the Echo park Improvement Association (EPIA).  The meeting is open to the public.

TONIGHT

Thursday September 4, 2014

7PM

Williams Hall at Barlow Hospital 

2000 Stadium Way

in Elysian Park 

A 2000' long sound wall on Allesandro Street, between Oak Glen & Rosebud, is in the next phase of construction set to start this winter. Go to the meeting & ask questions.

We've written ad naseum about proposed sound walls since 2009.
 
In 1962, Echo Park & Silver Lake activists stopped the 2 Freeway (an already approved project) from further dividing our communities.  By then, the 2 Freeway was complete through our part of the neighborhood, permanently leaving Corralitas Drive with one means of vehicle access. (Echo Park has a rich history of community activists speaking up for lost causes.)

SR 2 Freeway Terminus Project: Nearly 2000' Long Sound Wall On Allesandro StreetThe Pedestrian Point Of View

All photos: Diane Edwardson, 2009, 2013. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

According to a newsletter emailed to people who went to a meeting for the 2 Freeway Terminus Project last summer, CalTrans plans to begin construction on about 2000' of sound walls between Oak Glen & "north of El Moran Way" sometime in winter 2014/2015. 

Despite another year, CalTrans is still short on details about the sound walls.  So here's a walk down Allesandro Street, from Oak Glen to Rosebud (a few hundred feet north of El Moran), along with the questions we think CalTrans needs to answer because we've been asking them since the EIR was open for public review in 2009.  If we have to accept the wall (I opposed it from the beginning), we need a whole lot more in exchange for the loss of our trees.

CalTrans is putting a 10' tall sound wall, close to the fence, between Oak Glen & Loma Vista.  Will they be widening the sidewalk (heck, will they be building a real sidewalk) because there is a bus stop 50' feet south of the intersection? 

Exactly how many trees, including the Brazilian Pepper Trees (with their locations marked on a map) will CalTrans be removing for sound wall construction?

We need to see a plan that show exactly where on the slope the wall will go.  We need to see a landscaping plan for new trees on paper, with trees on both sides of the wall.

The northbound 2 Freeway lanes are about 20' from "the sidewalk."  In earlier meetings, CalTrans said there is no room for mature trees and a sound walls.  This is one of the few flat parts of the parkway, most of it is slope.

The entire length of Allesandro on the freeway side needs a real walkable sidewalk.  It is only asphalt encased in a concrete curb and barely passable by one person, let alone ADA accessible. 

North of Loma Vista, the longest portion of the sound wall (1530'), will move to the top of the slope.  The slope on the 2 Freeway parkway increases in height & becomes steeper & narrower as Allesandro moves closer Riverside Drive.

It would be really helpful if we knew exactly which trees CalTrans will be removing.  We won't see trees this size in our lifetime.  They were planted when the freeway opened in 1962.

The bulk of the trees are Brazilian Pepper Trees which CalTrans would prefer to call a shrub so they don't have to enumerate or replace them.  But those are some 40' tall, shrubby trees.

North of Whitmore, a very long retaining wall is adjacent to "the sidewalk." It varies in height from 6 to 10' tall and is constantly hit by graffiti vandals.

Through this section, the sound wall would sit at the top of the steep slope.  So there would be 2 walls creating a 25-30' edifice on Allesandro.  Ask CalTrans for technical drawings of the walls, with section cuts, with the existing trees marked on the plans, so we can see exactly where wall go.

If we have to accept a the eyesore of sound walls CalTrans needs to widen & give us a real walkable side walk for the entire length of the wall.  Trees are important psychologically & physically for living and walking near the freeway.

At Walcott Way, the steep slope appears to be 20' above the top of the roughly 6' retaining wall. 

Same location as previous photo, you can see the narrow parkway does not allow much room for wall construction & trees.

At El Moran, across from the Artis small lot subdivision in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract,  the retaining wall is about 9-10' tall, while the slope only gets steeper.

Rosebud Ave is only a few hundred feet north of El Moran.  Ask CalTrans exactly where the sound wall will end?  Their PR states, "north of El Moran Way."

The View From The Hills.

We've written about sound walls a lot.  Click here for all our sound wall posts

Great Wall of Echo Park: The Eastsider

CalTrans 1-page Fact Sheet
CalTrans Metro Newsletter

SR 2 Freeway Terminus Project: Planned Sound Walls, The View From The Hills

All photos: Diane Edwardson, 2013.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

It's hard to grasp the scale of the 2000 foot long sound walls planned for the 2 Freeway between the northbound lanes and Allesandro on the Echo Park Side.  It's even harder to get photos to illustrate the scale, so here's what we've published before.  Above is the view from the top of 18-Acre Elysian Park Parcel  at the end of Echo Park Ave facing toward Silver Lake.  Whitmore is the street leading down to the freeway.  The yellow line is a portion of the planned sound wall between Oak Glen & "north of El Moran Way."

CalTrans & Metro were genuinely perplexed by the comments from the community that we would be able to see the sound walls from the opposite side of the freeway.  Photo above is from Silver Ridge Ave in Silver Lake.

The sound wall at Oak Glen will be 10' - 12' tall.  It will only dampen the sound for the people who live on the first floor of that apartment building across the street on Allesandro.  If you live upstairs or further up hill, the sound wall will have no effect whatsoever.  Photo above from Fair Oak View Terrace in Silver Lake.

CalTrans is attempting to define the 35-40' tall Brazilian Pepper Trees as shrubs so they don't have to tell us they're cutting them down, nor replace them.  Last summer, they told us they would not be planting trees, nor would they be planting anything on the freeway side of the wall.  So Silver Lake will have a stellar view of the Great Wall of Echo Park's graffiti.  Photo above from Allesandro Way in Silver Lake  looking toward Whitmore.

Links:
CalTrans/Metro PR
Cal Trans 1 Page Fact Sheet 
Great Wall Of Echo Park: The Eastsider  
All our sound wall posts

SR 2 Freeway Terminus Project: CalTrans Still Not Specific On The North End Of The Planned Sound Wall

All Photos: Diane Edwardson, 2013.  CalTrans & Metro sent out an e-newsletter last week to say, among other things, they'll start construction on the 2000' long sound walls north of Oak Glen adjacent to the northbound lanes of the 2 Freeway & Allesandro sometime in winter 2014/2015.  The newsletter was still short on specifics like where exactly the north end of the wall would terminate.  A CalTrans fact sheet states the wall will extend to "north of El Moran Way."  It fails to say how far north of El Moran it will extend.  It's only a few hundred feet north to the Rosebud Ave underpass.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

The newsletter also says CalTrans will be preserving trees where possible.  One neighbor called Peter Jones, the CalTrans flak listed in the newsletter, asking questions about the exact number and location of trees to be removed.  CalTrans does not have an answer yet, despite our persistent questioning since 2009.

CalTrans didn't really offer anything new in their newsletter.  No matter where the northern terminus of the sound wall is, the wall will be placed at the top of the slope.  That means, if it were to come all the way to Rosebud, it would create a huge edifice, as the slope between the top of the retaining wall & the top of the slope is a good 15-20'.  Then top that with a 10' sound wall & cut down those trees too.

The Rosebud Ave underpass as seen from the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  The controversial Artis small-lot subdivision is directly across from the section between El Moran & Rosebud.

"The Great Wall Of Echo Park: The Eastsider

Click here for all our sound wall posts.
 

Allesandro Street: Sound Walls, Trees & Shrubs

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  Brazilian Pepper Trees are the predominant tree in the 2 Freeway parkway between Oak Glen & Rosebud Ave on Allesandro Street.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)
 
Metro & CalTrans have resisted doing environmental review on their proposed 2 Freeway sound walls.  One reason might well be, they want to classify the 30'+ tall Brazilian Pepper Trees as shrubs so they do not have to replace them.  Brazilian Pepper Trees are a shrubby tree, growing over 30' tall, with trunks 9 - 13" diameter.  
 
In last week's meeting, Benkin Jong, Metro's project Manager kept saying they did not have to cut down all the trees but said they would be cutting the shrubs.  They have been trying to call the Brazilian Pepper Trees, shrubs for the past year. 
 
We need environmental review under CEQA to measure the potential impacts of the sound walls. 
 
We need to know how many trees, including the Brazilian Pepper Trees, & their locations marked on a map, of what they will be cutting down to build the sound walls, just as any developer would have to submit for the City.  (If this were a retaining wall, it would have to go through environmental review because of the City's Retaining Wall Ordinance we have in Hillside Areas to prevent blight.) 
 
We also need to know how many replacement trees & their intended locations on a map, in other words: a landscape plan.   Simply planting ivy is not enough to make up for the loss of 4/10ths of a mile of trees.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  Brazilian Pepper Trees (Schinus terebinthifolius) are non-native, invasive & shrubby trees, but they are trees.  They should not be confused with Peruvian Pepper Trees or Toyon, all of which sprout red "fruit."

Cal Flora lists Brazilian Pepper Tree as having minor toxicity, causing dermatitis according to the California Poison Control System 2010.

Disclaimer: The Corralitas Red Car Property Blog prefers to quote reliable sources, such as CalFlora and California Poison Control on the issue of toxicity.  We often get email suggesting some plants are edible. If you are eating your way through the Red Car Property, we DO NOT recommend you eat any plant you find in the Red Car Property neighborhood without first doing your own research. 

Allesandro Street: 2 Freeway Sound Walls, CalTrans Still Short On Details

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 1, 2013.  From the top of the 18-Acre Elysian Park Expansion looking toward the 2 Freeway & the Silver Lake side of the Freeway, you get an idea of how many homes look down on the 2 Freeway.  The yellow line is just a portion of the sound wall proposed between Oak Glen and Rosebud on Allesandro Street.  (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

At last week's meeting regarding the 2 Freeway Terminus, Caltrans & Metro's presentation on the 2 Freeway sound walls were not as detailed as these photos.  They just showed a Google satellite image with a line on it.  They had no technical drawings to show exactly where the walls would go on the slope adjacent to the freeway, no section cuts and no drawings relative to the homes directly across the street from the walls.  They've been talking about the sound walls for more than a year now.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 17, 2013.  From Silver Ridge Ave looking toward the northern most point of the wall at Allesandro and Rosebud.  The Red Tailed Hawk nest is at the corner of Rosebud & Allesandro.

Since they had no technical drawings, we really don't know exactly where the wall is supposed to end.  CalTrans seemed a bit vague on that issue too.  Their satellite image shows it ending midway between El Moran & Allesandro, which would be right in the middle of the new homes being constructed in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract on Allesandro St. 

They did however say there would be NO planting of trees or ivy on the freeway side of the wall (above photo).   So everyone on the Silver Lake side of the freeway with a view of the wall, would have a stellar view of the graffiti.   Thanks a lot CalTrans. 

The Metro project manager, Benkin Jong seemed genuinely perplexed at how neighbors could possibly have a view of the wall from the hills on either side of the freeway.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 9, 2012.  From the Silver Lake Side of Cove, looking back across toward the Elysian Heights side of the 2 Freeway, the top floor of that apartment building directly across from the proposed sound wall may not benefit from the wall.  Without technical drawings we can't evaluate the benefits to even the people they are purporting to help.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  If the sound wall comes all the way to Rosebud, the concrete edifice it will create will be significant since the freeway already looms large over the street.  CalTrans said the wall would be at the top of the slope.

Tomorrow, we'll talk about trees, because that's a whole other bone of contention with Metro & CalTrans on the 2 Terminus Project.  

Allesandro Street: Existing Retaining Walls Will Enhance Prison-Like Effect Of Proposed Sound Walls For 2 Freeway

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April13, 2013.  A retaining wall for the 2 Freeway, ranging in height between 6' to 9' stretches between Rosebud Ave & almost to Whitmore along the propose path of the sound walls for the 2 Freeway Terminus Project.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

What's been missing from the discussions with the community is the sense of scale of the proposed sound walls between Oak Glen and Rosebud. 

CalTrans plans to remove all the trees above the retaining wall.  The retaining wall will remain in place.  A sound wall will be built somewhere on the slope above the retaining wall, most likely at grade with the freeway: a good 15' above the top of the retaining wall.  (CalTrans has not been forthcoming with concrete plans for the sound walls.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  A wall of trees will be replaced with a wall of concrete which one day might have some ivy growing on it.  CalTrans has repeated often, trees will not be planted after the walls are built. 

There is no question that the people who live directly adjacent to the freeway deserve some sort of sound protection.  However, permanently removing 4/10ths of a mile of trees, not only visually impacts the neighborhood, it also impacts the physical & psychological health of those living nearby. 

CalTrans admits the range of the sound walls is very limited.  And if you are above the sound walls - which most homes in the area are - including those just 2 homes away from Allesandro - the sound walls will not help you.  When we suggested installing soundproofing in those adjacent homes as they did in South Pasadena along the Gold Line (in response to a lawsuit), elected officials did not welcome the idea. 

Community Meeting

State Route 2 Freeway Terminus Redesign Update
Metro/CalTrans

 

Thursday, June 13, 2013

6 - 8 PM

 

Mayberry Elementary School Auditorium

2414 Mayberry St

Silver Lake , 90026

info: (213) 922-3010

 

Click here for all our sound wall related posts.

Allesandro St: Sound Walls Will Replace Trees on 2 Freeway

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  CalTrans & Metro don't consider those more than 20' tall Brazilian Pepper Trees, trees.  CalTrans considers them "shrubs."  All will be removed when they build sound walls.  CalTrans will only plant ivy to replace the trees/shrubs once the walls are built. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Caltrans will build sound walls on Allesandro Street between Oak Glen and Rosebud as a part of the 2 Freeway Terminus Project.  Sound walls have been dropped out of all other parts of the project except for this 4/10ths of a mile long stretch.  No environmental review was ever conducted regarding the removal of these trees/shrubs and construction of these sound walls in the EIR in 2009.   

See how the same part of Allesandro looked in 2009.

Community Meeting

State Route 2 Freeway Terminus Redesign Update

 

Thursday, June 13, 2013*

6 - 8 PM

 

Mayberry Elementary School Auditorium

2414 Mayberry St

Silver Lake , 90026

info: (213) 922-3010

 

Handy links:

Metro's SR2 Freeway Terminus Project

All our sound wall related posts

Spring Cleaning: Silver Lake Style

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  The Adelbert trail cut-through to the Red Car Property has some new trail markers.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  The Gilroy Overlook Lounge on Lot C of the Red Car Property moved to its present location a few weeks ago, along with some wicker furniture and area rugs.  The leather couch is all that remains.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  A month or two ago, ago a Brazilian Pepper Tree in Red Car Canyon was butchered after a branch broke.  Since then, the pile of debris has been growing with other garbage dumped in the canyon. 

NOTE TO LAKE VIEW AVE NEIGHBORS: Look behind your fence!  Paint over the graffiti.  You're not helping the "broken window" effect by ignoring what happens on the other side of your fence.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  Allesandro Way at Earl St.  A couch and mattress have awaited pick up on this part of Allesandro Way for months.  They seem to have migrated to the intersection of Earl St because the City won't pick up just any old mattress & couch without an address, no matter how many times the neighbors call it in. (They wouldn't want to pick up the wrong couch & mattress!)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  A box spring awaits a new home at the corner of Oak Glen & Allesandro Way.  Again, with no address, it may have a long wait.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 13, 2013.  One of several Christmas Trees still lining the "sidewalk" on the 2 Freeway side of Allesandro Street - this one is between Walcott & Whitmore. 

Don't dump your trash in our neighborhood - or any other neighborhood. For bulky item pick-up from the City, call 311, use the City's website or the City's new smartphone app. 

Of course, neighbors who routinely call in illegal dumping will tell you the biggest problem is when dumping occurs in areas without street addresses.  Supposedly, this would be resolved with the smartphone app, but neighbors who try reporting illegal dumping that way don't always get it picked up. 

Glendale Historical Society: Free Slide Show May 12, 2011

Next Thursday, May 12, 2011, the Glendale Historical Society presents a free slide show by Red Car Historian Paul Ayers, with historic and current photos of the Glendale Line from Downtown Los Angeles to Glendale.  

Seating is limited.  We've been advised to get there early because these Red Car Trolley programs are quite popular.  They often have to turn people away.  Library visitors receive 3 hours free parking at The Market Place parking structure (across the street) with validation from the library loan desk.

More info : www.glendalehistorical.org or (818) 242-7447 

Red Car Historian Paul Ayers grew up in the area and shared some of his family archive with the Corralitas Red Car Property Blog. We'll be running some of his photos daily for the next week. 

Photo: Loren Ayers (Paul's uncle), June 19, 1955 (enlarged from the previous photo).  That's 3-year-old Paul Ayers hanging out the window of a Red Car Trolley (PE #5010) on the last day of service on the Glendale Line.  Paul's cousin Allen, as well as Paul's father and sister are also in the windows.  

For the local historians... (as seen in the original photo at top of this post), the row of palm trees in the background (off Fellowship Parkway) indicates the trolley is at the Whitmore Stop.

2 Freeway Terminus Redesign: Sound Walls Part 4, Allesandro St.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 1, 2009. (Click on photos to enlarge.) Allesandro St. already sports a 6-8' high retaining wall from Riverside Drive to (almost) Whitmore. The Terminus Redesign calls for a 12-16' high sound wall on top of the existing wall. All the trees would be cut down for construction.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 1, 2009. All of the trees would be cut down to build the 12-16' high sound wall along Allesandro St. They only have to replace the trees that have 8" (or more) diameter trunks on a 1:1 basis, with trees of a 15 gallon size box. In other words, we won't see a nice wall of green like we have now for decades. Additionally, we will have the added benefit of a huge canvas for graffiti vandals along the entire length of Allesandro between Riverside Drive and Glendale Blvd.
Go to the community meeting TONIGHT.

Whitmore Stop: From The Archives

Photo: Uncredited, undated. Looking toward Echo Park, down what is now the 2 Freeway at the Whitmore Stop off Allesandro. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Sadly, my archives have many uncredited, undated photos. However, this one is a close match to some of the Holyland Exhibition archives from the time around the 2 Freeway construction.

If you have historic neighborhood photos to share, or credits on historic photos we've published, send them to: redcarproperty@gmail.com.

Red Car Trolley at Whitmore Stop

Photo: Bill Volkmer, undated. Glendale Line at Allesandro Ave. and Whitmore Ave., currently the site of the 2 Freeway. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

We're reviewing the photographic history of our neighborhood surrounding the 2 Freeway, in anticipation of the EIR for the 2 Freeway Terminus Project.

Take note of the striped brick building directly behind the trolley in the photo above. It's on the corner of Allesandro Ave. and Whitmore Ave. It shows up in the background of this photo from the late 1920s or early 1930s. It will make appearances again next week, when our trip into the past gets to the 1960s. In fact, the brick building, along with the other buildings in the background, still stands today.

Red Car Trolleys on Allesandro Street

Photo: Futterer, Holyland Exhibition, undated photo, probably from the late 1920s or early 1930s. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
All October, in anticipation of the EIR for the 2 Freeway Terminus Project, we're reviewing the neighborhood history through neighbors' photographs.
The Whitmore Stop in the photo above, was shot from the rooftop of the Holyland Exhibition at the corner of Lake View Ave. and Allesandro Way. It was the terminus of the local Edendale Line. The larger interurban trolleys were on the Glendale Line, which proceeded north, past the Holyland Exhibition and through the private right-of-way now known as the Corralitas Red Car Property.