"For seven decades, California has banned heavy trucks from driving Interstate 580 between Oakland and San Leandro, a rule upheld by public officials even as it diverted industrial pollution to some of the area's most disadvantaged neighborhoods. But state transportation officials are now diving into the precise details of what removing the longstanding ban on vehicles over 4.5 tons or 9,000 pounds would mean for the region's environment, including its air quality and noise pollution."
"The rule was established in 1951 and applied to an 8.7-mile stretch of MacArthur Boulevard that eventually gave way to I-580. State officials extended the ban in 1967 amid a fierce lobbying effort, including by Oakland's then-Mayor John Reading. In the ensuing decades, industrial activity in the city has largely concentrated on the highways around the Port of Oakland, where air pollution and reported asthma rates are higher than elsewhere in Alameda County."
California has enforced a ban since 1951 that prohibits heavy trucks over 4.5 tons from using Interstate 580 between Oakland and San Leandro along an 8.7-mile corridor that followed MacArthur Boulevard. State officials extended the restriction in 1967, and enforcement has concentrated industrial truck traffic around the Port of Oakland and parallel highways, producing higher air pollution and reported asthma rates in nearby communities. Caltrans is initiating a detailed study to evaluate lifting the ban, analyzing traffic patterns, air quality, noise, racial equity, and health impacts, with no timeline set for completion. Political momentum to lift the ban remains limited.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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