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LOS ANGELES - 01/18/05 - The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) has unveiled a plan to develop an inland truck depot to reduce truck traffic on the overburdened Long Beach (710) Freeway.

The 710 serves as the primary highway link between the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the region's major intermodal rail yards located near downtown Los Angeles.
 
According to ACTA, the proposed truck depot would augment an already-proposed plan to allow truckers to pick up containers at both the local ports at nights and on Saturdays, thus reducing the number of trucks using the 710 during peak traffic times.

Gates at both ports' container terminals are typically only open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday thru Friday.
 
According to press reports, despite their enthusiasm for the plan to extend gate hours, proponents of the plan still reportedly have concerns that the inland distribution centers where the containers are bound won't themselves be open during the extended operational time making truckers wary of moving containers inland during so-called "off hours."
 
But, they say, the new plan would allow truckers to pick up containers at night at either port and move them to the proposed depot, where they would be positioned until the distribution centers open.

"The development of an inland truck depot will go a long way toward reducing port-related traffic and addressing one of the most important issues associated with expanding port hours," said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, whose district encompasses the Port of Los Angeles and serves also chairwoman of the ACTA board.

Another of ACTA's goods movement initiatives, press reports have said, call for the operation of a container train "shuttle" service between the ports and the intermodal railyards in Southern California's Inland Empire region.

That plan will be tested over the next nine months to examine its effectiveness, the authority said.

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