Incorporating health impact assessment into the I-710 freeway expansion decision-making process

Interstate 710 is a vital transportation artery linking the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to Southern California and beyond. Population growth, consumer demand for imports, traffic, and aging infrastructure contribute to significant congestion and safety concerns on I-710. To decrease congestion and improve safety, an expansion of the freeway has been proposed. I-710 passes through many low-income and minority communities, close to homes, schools, day care, senior centers, and hospitals. As a result, local communities are concerned about impacts from the proposed expansion project (e.g., pollution, pedestrian safety, noise, economic development, and access to goods and services) that could exacerbate existing health disparities. To address these concerns, a coalition of community groups, public agencies, and universities have been working collaboratively to promote the use of health impact assessment (HIA) to bring health to the forefront of this major transportation project by undergoing a HIA training, scoping potential health issues to include in a HIA, and understanding and sharing information on the value of HIA in the context of existing environmental analyses. The collaborative effort resulted in an unprecedented recommendation by the I-710 Project Committee to fund a HIA. This session will discuss how partners learned and applied HIA tools to effectively promote health in decision-making. Presenters will discuss lessons learned, such as the importance of community involvement, collaboration among diverse stakeholders, and support from key decision-makers and how to use a health perspective to influence public processes.