News outlets set up their equipment as Laura Moreno, Director of Friends of Calwa gives her speech on the dangers of the freeway expansion. (Aileen Guzman/ Flourishing Fresno)
As the sounds of construction and people yelling “Slow down!” fill the streets of S. Jensen Avenue and S. 10th Street of Calwa, community residents gathered to voice their feelings and concerns regarding the City of Fresno’s expansion and development of Highway 99.
By Aileen Guzman
The press conference occurred right outside Friends of Calwa, a resident-based organization run by Laura Moreno. The meeting took place on Thursday, April 6, at 10 a.m.
Edith Rico, who is in charge of the Housing Project Operations, spoke out on behalf of residents and said there’s potentially deadly effects residents would have to endure.
“This expansion project will only cause more pollution for more freeways and heavy trucks time after time,” Rico said.
In a press conference announcement by the Friends of Calwa, the community leaders and advocates said they grew tired of being treated as a ‘dumping ground’ for polluting industrial developments.
The area is surrounded by industrial developments, and the residents have expressed their concerns before, so they continue to feel unheard.
“ Not one [person] has stood with the community to stop this project. So Friends of Calwa and Fresno Building Healthy Communities took legal action and filed a lawsuit because enough is enough,” said Laura Moreno, the Executive Directs for Friends of Calwa.
Moreno also said there’s been a lack of investment in their community.
The highway expansion would pave out about 3,000 acres for new industrial companies near Fresno County, according to a press release. Many residents are concerned about the air pollution and truck traffic it may cause, and the project is now under review by the EPA.
Some of the other leaders in attendance for the Calwa press conference consisted of, Fresno Building Healthy Communities, Leadership Counsel for Justice Accountability, and Environmental; and the Law Clinic at Stanford Law School.
According to the CalTrans website, the improvements on Route 99 project overview emphasized strengthening community identity and unifying freeway improvements.
The expansion is also looking to renovate parts of the highways that’re old and deteriorated as well as two traffic lanes crossing existing structures over the highway. Some of the interchanges have become difficult for motorists to navigate their way around certain exits and streets in order to reach their destination.
Flourishing Fresno 