Residents can learn about the upcoming Orange Avenue Backbone Bikeway project at Long Beach Public Works’ two upcoming open house events.
The open houses will take place Saturday, Nov. 16 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Cal Rec Community Center at Ernest McBride Park (1550 Martin Luther King Ave.), and Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the EXPO Arts Center (4321 Atlantic Ave.).
The Orange Avenue Backbone Bikeway is part of the five-year Elevate ‘28 infrastructure plan, which is made up of roughly 200 projects aiming to make Long Beach more accessible while restoring its parks and community facilities.
The goal of this project is to make Orange and Alamitos Avenues safer and more accessible with a multi-modal corridor, with an estimated $30 million budget. The proposed improvements include protected bike lanes and intersections, high-visibility crosswalks along with accessibility improvements for pedestrians and public transit riders.
These upgrades are inspired by the Safe Streets Long Beach initiative, with the goal of eradicating traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by 2026. According to the Vision Zero Action Plan, Orange Avenue is one of the City’s minor roadways with the most traffic collisions resulting in pedestrians being killed or seriously injured.
At the open house events, the project team will discuss the proposed improvements and attendees will be able to ask questions and provide immediate feedback. The public input received will then be applied to the project’s final design.
Language interpretations services will be available in Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog. Parents can bring children to these events and light refreshments will be provided.
The Orange Avenue Backbone Bikeway is currently scheduled to go to bid in late summer 2025, with construction expected to begin in late winter 2025, barring any significant changes. This project joins other local accessibility-focused construction already underway or planned for Studebaker Road, Pacific Avenue and Artesia Boulevard.
To learn more about the Orange Avenue Backbone Bikeway, visit longbeach.gov/orangeaveproject or email contact LBPW@longbeach.gov.