Cargo Business Techwire

Friday, January 15, 2016

Long Beach readies for long-term closure of Ocean Blvd. for bridge fix

As part of the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project, eastbound Ocean Boulevard between the Desmond Bridge and downtown Long Beach will be closed for up to 36 months starting Tuesday, Jan. 19. Through traffic will take a short detour using Pico Avenue to rejoin Ocean Boulevard into downtown.

A temporary, overnight closure of eastbound Ocean Boulevard from SR-47 to Golden Shore will take place from 9 p.m., Jan. 18, to 5 a.m., Jan. 19, to prepare the roadway for the long-term detour. Eastbound traffic will be detoured to northbound SR-47.

In addition, there will be an overnight detour for traffic using westbound Ocean Boulevard at Golden Shore. From 9 p.m., Jan. 18, to 5 a.m., Jan. 19, all westbound traffic will be diverted to Pico Avenue. Motorists will be able to rejoin westbound Ocean using the on-ramp from Pico.

For the long-term eastbound Ocean detour starting

Jan. 19, commuters heading to downtown Long Beach from the Gerald Desmond Bridge will exit Ocean Boulevard to Pico Avenue and rejoin Ocean via two signalized intersections, dedicated turn lanes and a newly striped two-lane on-ramp. Diverting eastbound traffic allows westbound Ocean to remain open during construction.

The northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway connector will remain open until further notice during the long-term closure of eastbound Ocean.

When completed in 2018, the new bridge will include six traffic lanes and four emergency shoulders, a higher clearance to accommodate mega cargo ships, and the Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle and Pedestrian Path with scenic overlooks.

The replacement project allows the Gerald Desmond Bridge to remain in use while the new bridge is under construction.