[dropcap size=big]H[/dropcap]ad Google Maps steered me wrong?
I walked about a half-mile from a Gold Line station and was directed left on South Pasadena Avenue. I saw what appeared to be a freeway exit with a “Do Not Enter” sign. This couldn't be right. I looked again as cars hit the breaks as if adjusting to street traffic speeds. Soon enough, two seniors headed left on foot down that road. They walked as if they knew where they were going. I followed their lead.
If California Department of Transportation had its way, this street would be part of the 710 freeway. Instead, cars speed passed CalTrans-owned properties, both vacant and inhabited. Artists Julia Tcharfas and Tim Ivison live in one of these houses, which also serves as the headquarters for their archival project Before Present. Right now, they're in the midst of a site-specific show about the freeway that changed this neighborhood.
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Running from Long Beach to Alhambra, Interstate 710 displaced residents who lived in its path and angered communities situated along its intended route. It remains incomplete and continues to be a source of controversy. In "710," Before Present looks at the history of the freeway and how it impacted locals.