LONG BEACH, CA — A stretch of the northbound 710 Freeway in Long Beach will close for the entire weekend beginning Friday night as crews demolish ramps connecting the Shoemaker Bridge to the harbor area.
The northbound freeway will be closed from Ocean Boulevard to Anaheim Street from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, according to Port of Long Beach officials.
It is the first of three closures planned over consecutive weekends as crews demolish the 9th and 10th Street ramps connecting the Shoemaker Bridge to the North Harbor area.
The ramps have been closed since May, with motorists using alternate routes including Willow Street, Pacific Coast Highway, Anaheim Street, Ocean Boulevard and the Queensway Bridge.
During this weekend's closure, drivers traveling north or south on Pico Avenue and north on Harbor Scenic Drive will be directed onto Ocean Boulevard.
Motorists trying to reach the northbound 710 will be directed north on Long Beach Boulevard and west on Anaheim Street to the freeway onramp.
Port and Terminal Island traffic will be routed around the closure using Alameda Street and the Terminal Island Freeway, or State Route 103.
Truck traffic on Pier A Way, Pier B Street and Harbor Scenic Drive will be directed west on Anaheim Street. Trucks coming from San Pedro on Pacific Avenue or John S. Gibson Boulevard will be directed east on Harry Bridges Boulevard, north on Alameda Street and east on 220th Street to reach the southbound 405 Freeway.
The work will continue next weekend, when the Shoemaker Bridge itself will close from 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, through 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 21.
Motorists will be able to access both directions of the 710 at Anaheim Street during that closure.
The following weekend, the southbound 710 will close between Anaheim Street and Pico Avenue from 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, through 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28.
Passenger vehicles will generally be routed through downtown Long Beach using Shoreline Drive, Broadway, Magnolia Avenue and Ocean Boulevard to reach the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge. Trucks will primarily be routed using Pacific Coast Highway, the Terminal Island Freeway and Alameda Street.
Except during the Sept. 18-21 closure, motorists will still be able to access the Shoemaker Bridge from West Seventh Street, West Third Street, West Ocean Boulevard and West Shoreline Drive east of the Los Angeles River.
Signs will be posted throughout the affected areas directing motorists along detour routes.
The ramp demolition is associated with the Port of Long Beach's Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility project and is separate from the City of Long Beach's planned replacement of the Shoemaker Bridge itself.
The existing bridge was built in 1954 and has structural deficiencies and outdated design features, including sharp curves on its ramps, that have contributed to safety concerns and a high rate of crashes, according to the city.
Long Beach plans to build a new bridge just south of the existing span, with an elevated roundabout connecting to Seventh Street and Shoreline Drive as well as protected bicycle and pedestrian paths.
The replacement is expected to cost approximately $900 million. The city said in a July project update that it continues to pursue funding needed to complete design and construction and does not currently have a schedule for completion of final design.
More information about the planned replacement is available on the City of Long Beach's Shoemaker Bridge Replacement Project website.
Related:
City News Wire contributed to this report.
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