The City of Long Beach will pour $34 million into a two-year, 2-mile infrastructure project on the westside, deemed the Pacific Avenue Corridor Improvements Project. This stretch of Pacific Avenue between Pacific Coast Highway and Wardlow Road is one of the busiest in the city, and has been identified as the fourth most dangerous corridor for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Long Beach’s Transportation Project Management Bureau, within the Public Works Department, presented preliminary designs, goals and a brief timeline during a virtual meeting Wednesday evening.
According to data between 2018 and 2022, this corridor has had five fatal collisions and 292 pedestrian/bicyclist crashes during that timeframe. The Pacific Avenue Corridor Improvement Project will directly address four high-injury intersections: two vehicle and two pedestrian/bicycle.
Some highlights of the project include:
- Bus shelters: 23 new bus shelters will be installed at existing stops, and some bus stops will be moved to accommodate new bike lanes
- ADA accessibility: 33 new ADA-compliant ramps will be constructed, as well as 12 curb extensions/bulb-outs and revamped sidewalks at multiple locations
- Traffic signals: Six intersections will be receiving traffic signals for the first time, while existing signals will be upgraded. The City will also be implementing corridor-wide coordination between signals, managed by video surveillance.
- Roadway improvements: New pavement striping and signs will be installed, while roads will receive resurfacing
- Bike lanes: The corridor will receive 3.2 miles of newly striped class II bike lanes, as well as 0.8 miles of class IV bike lanes (with a physical barrier)
Most of the funding for this $34 million project comes from a grant via Safe Streets and Roads For All, a federal program that has so far distributed $3.9 billion to cities to “prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries.” That grant accounts for 73%, or roughly $24.8 million of the project’s funding, while Long Beach is paying for the remaining 27%, or roughly $9 million.
According to the City of Long Beach, the grant funding cannot be used for any project that would “reduce roadway capacity or level of service for vehicles,” remove lanes or add any new vehicular lanes. The grant money had to be used specifically for roadway safety projects that reduce injuries and fatalities, manage vehicle speed or create safe routes to school and transit.
Want more local news?
Sign up for the Signal Tribune’s newsletters
A handful of residents at the meeting voiced their dissatisfaction with the project, saying the City is spending a lot of money for little changes.
“It really feels like this is disingenuous to call this a safety project,” an attendee, who did not provide a name, said during the Q&A portion of the meeting. He asked if the bulk of the costs were going towards repaving roads.
Transportation Project Bureau Manager Mouhsen Habib replied that a lot of the money is also going toward ADA accessibility, $1 million for each new traffic signal installation, consultation services and more.
A traffic engineering worker with the City added that they were not allowed to make lanes smaller since they have a minimum width requirement, and said the bike barriers and traffic signal coordination will also help force speeding cars to slow down.
Details of the Pacific Avenue Corridor Improvements Project are as follows:
From Pacific Coast Highway to West 31st Street
This stretch makes up the bulk of the project at roughly 1.5 miles. This area will receive sidewalk repairs, a newly striped bike lane (no barrier), new striping between vehicle lanes, a repaved road, new protections around existing medians and one additional median.
At the intersection of Pacific Avenue and West Hill Street, the City will upgrade the already existing traffic signal, refresh the sidewalks, install a new curb extension and ADA accessible ramps, put in new safety lighting and install a bus shelter at the already existing bus stop.
One intersection north, at West 23rd Street, a new traffic signal will be installed, as well as new curb extensions and ADA curb ramps, on-street ADA parking, new crosswalks and a newly paved and striped roadway. Bike lanes already exist at this stretch, and the stripes separating bicyclists from cars will be repainted.
From West 31 Street to Wardlow Road
The remaining half-mile stretch of the project will receive a bike lane where there is currently none. The bike lanes in this area will have a physical barrier made up of flexible, vertical PEXCO bollards on one side and a raised stretch of pavement on the other side of the road.
This area will also get redone sidewalks, restriped pavement and slight pavement repaving.
At the intersection of Pacific Avenue and West 31st Street, the City will introduce a new traffic signal, as well as the start of new bike lanes protected by a raised median on both sides of the road. The street will also be repaved and restriped, with car lanes slightly shifted to make room for the bike lanes, and a new bus stop will be introduced.
Long Beach expects to begin construction on the Pacific Avenue Corridor Improvements Project later this year and estimates completion in late 2028.
