(October 20, 2005) -- Don't plan on driving directly from downtown LB to San Pedro using Ocean Blvd. this weekend. That popular direct route across Terminal Island will be closed from 7 p.m. Friday Oct. 21 until 5 a.m. Monday Oct 24 as part of a $65 million Ocean Blvd. construction project.

The Ocean Blvd./Terminal Island (47) Freeway interchange, used by roughly 50,000 drivers a day, will be closed this weekend to construct a detour road connected to Ocean Boulevard so the major construction work can proceed (details below).

For Port users, during this weekend's closure:

PoLB says that leaving Terminal Island this weekend, "drivers can only return in the same direction from which they came. They cannot continue across Terminal Island. Motorists driving between downtown Long Beach and San Pedro may use Anaheim Street or Pacific Coast Highway."

When the weekend work is done, Ocean Blvd. traffic will be shunted onto a newly built detour road for roughly 12-16 months while the new Ocean Blvd/TI Fwy. interchange is built.

"The detour road will have only two eastbound lanes, one less than Ocean Boulevard, so motorists should expect some delays," PoLB says.

The Ocean Boulevard/Terminal Island Freeway interchange project, scheduled for completion in early 2007, "aims to ease congestion and improve air quality by eliminating two Terminal Island traffic signals - at Ocean and the TI Freeway, and Ocean and Pier S Avenue," PoLB says.

Image source: PoLB