Disney Park Adds Twist to 710 Freeway Debate

The competition over a Walt Disney Co. theme park in either Long Beach or Anaheim has added a new twist in the decades-old controversy over the proposed extension of the Long Beach Freeway.

Supporters of the extension that would travel through East Los Angeles, Pasadena and South Pasadena said they hope that Long Beach officials, eager to attract the Disney park, will press for completion of the freeway’s northern end in the San Gabriel Valley. And opponents said they are as determined as ever in their fight against it.

The 710 Freeway could be one of Long Beach’s selling points in winning the park and its 10,000 jobs. “This could lead to a renewed effort to see the gap closed,” state transportation planner Jeffrey Bingham said of Long Beach’s interest in attracting the $1-billion theme park to a site near the Queen Mary.