(Mar. 25, 2007) -- Nighttime travel on the 710 freeway in LB will be a pain in the butt in the coming week...but communting between Long Beach and San Pedro on Ocean Blvd. should become a lot easier.
710 freeway construction/planned nighttime closures
CalTrans says it will close parts of the 710 freeway in LB (detailed locations below) during evening and overnight hours on successive days starting Monday night March 26 and running through Friday night March 30. It's to replace the metal beam center median with a concrete barrier and replace pavement from Shoreline Drive to PCH.
Here are the scheduled closures:
Monday night, March 26:
- 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. up to two lanes southbound I-710 from PCH to Shoreline Drive
- 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. up to three lanes northbound I-710 from Shoreline Drive to PCH
- 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. southbound I-710 on- and off-ramps at PCH
- 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. north- and southbound I-710 on- and off-ramps at Anaheim Street
- 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. northbound I-710 on-ramp at Shoreline Drive
- 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. northbound I-710 off--ramp at PCH
Nightly, Tuesday, March 27, through Thursday, March 29:
- 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. up to two lanes southbound I-710 from PCH to Shoreline Drive
- 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. up to three lanes northbound I-710 from Shoreline Drive to PCH
- 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Southbound I-710 off-ramp at Shoreline Drive
Friday night, March 30:
- 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. up to two lanes southbound I-710 from PCH to Shoreline Drive
- 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. up to three lanes northbound I-7110 from Shoreline Drive to PCH
- 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. southbound I-710 off-ramp at Shoreline Drive
This 710 freeway project is scheduled for completion in fall 2008. In the meantime, CalTrans reminds drivers to go "Slow for the Cone Zone."
Ocean Blvd. upgraded, easing commute between LB & SP
The drive between LB and San Pedro should get easier stating Monday morning March 26 when the Port of LB debuts its new Ocean Blvd. roadway.
At 5:00 a.m., the Port of LB will debut its $65 million newly elevated, freeway-like Ocean Blvd. roadway that eliminates two traffic signals and lets east-west traffic move nonstop between the Gerald Desmond Bridge and Navy Way.
"This project will have significant, immediate benefits for the community by easing traffic flow through Terminal Island," said Port Executive Director Richard D. Steinke in a release, adding "Commuters who drive between Long Beach and San Pedro will see a major traffic improvement."
The Port release says the Ocean Boulevard and Terminal Island (47) Freeway interchange project "will also improve regional air quality by reducing vehicle idling at two former Terminal Island traffic signals -- at Ocean and the Terminal Island Freeway, and Ocean and Pier S Avenue."
The Port release says the project's centerpiece is a new, raised Ocean Boulevard, elevated nearly nearly 20 feet so east-west traffic can travel non-stop. As of Monday, local access to Terminal Island facilities from Ocean Boulevard will be via on- and off-ramps. The interchange is used by nearly 50,000 drivers a day, PoLB says.
Agencies dispensing public money for the project included the Port of LB, the U.S. Department of Transportation, CalTrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).
