The roundabouts are due for completion by April. The construction work encompasses Long Beach’s 7th and 8th city council districts.
Construction on Pacific Avenue in the Los Cerritos neighborhood is part of the Bicycle System Gap Closure and the Los Angeles River Bike Path Access projects, the traffic alert stated. An additional 8.4 miles of infrastructure will include two new roundabouts on the intersections of Pacific and Bixby Road, and Pacific and 36th Street.
The projects seek to improve access to and from the LA River Bike Path by guiding cyclists to key entrance and exit points along that path, according to Seyron Foo, administrative analyst for Long Beach Public Works. Signs in that area will also include links to the LA Metro’s Blue Line.
The bikeway includes Harding Street, Del Amo Boulevard, San Antonio Drive, Del Mar Avenue and Pacific Avenue.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-04-at-11.42.45-AM.png” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”Infrastructure improvements along Pacific Avenue, such as the one pictured here on Pacific and San Antonio Drive, began in early February. The work will include two new roundabouts on Bixby Road and 36th Street and a new traffic signal on Wardlow Road. The roundabouts and traffic signal are due for completion by April and July, respectively. ” captionposition=”left”] Foo said preparation of the Pacific Avenue project started at the beginning of this year and will finish this summer. He said the project was a culmination of community engagement and necessity for the city.
“The City has held over 20 community meetings over the last year to seek input from community members,” Foo said. “This project will provide residents recreational and health benefits achieved by cycling.”
A new traffic signal on Pacific Avenue and Wardlow Road will also be included and completed by July. New striping improvements along San Antonio Drive will be featured, as well.
As part of the project, the City will add two traffic circles and two traffic signals to calm traffic, improve the flow of traffic and enhance safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, Foo said.
One of 8th District Councilmember Al Austin’s priorities since he took office has been to repair both the sidewalks and streets of his district, according to a statement from his office to the Signal Tribune.
“Providing safe routes to and from school for students has been of particular importance,” Austin’s office stated, adding that more than eight miles of sidewalks in the district have been repaired since 2013.
The sidewalk repairs are on the residential streets north of Market Street, which include Olive, Myrtle, California, Lemon and Cerritos avenues. Sidewalks on Roosevelt, San Antonio, Dairy and Mountain View are being repaired in the Los Cerritos neighborhood, as well.
Sidewalk improvements between the I-405 Freeway and the Country Club will also be added, according to Foo.
The 8th District traffic alert advised residents to pay attention to temporary parking restrictions in working zones and to remain vigilant while driving when the crew is at work.
The street-repair projects are being funded by several federal and county grants that are specific for active-transportation projects. Foo said the total project cost is estimated at $1,749,130. The cost includes design, construction, management and project support.
He added that the funds include: $863,000 in federal funding from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is intended for improvements and maintenance of surface transportation infrastructure; $600,000 from Los Angeles County Measure R for transportation projects; $200,141 from the Transportation Development Act that funds public transportation; and $66,126 in Proposition C funding intended for mass-transit services and facilities.
The remaining amount of $20,864 is reallocated from closed projects within the City’s Capital Projects Fund, Foo said.
New LED fixtures will be installed in the City’s traffic safety intersection lights.
The implementation of those fixtures is part of the first phase of a project to convert all of Long Beach’s lights to LED, which is intended to produce long-term energy savings and lower electricity bills.
The Port of Long Beach Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Grant is funding Phase 1 of the LED project.
Phase 2 will begin shortly thereafter, according to Austin’s office.
A total of 24,000 streetlights will be converted to LED during this phase.
The cost will be $6,040,000, and it will be paid by a combination of SCE rebates, reduced energy usage and Fiscal Year 2016 one-time funds.
“The citywide conversion of LED fixtures is ongoing,” Foo said. “This will include streetlights along the Pacific Avenue corridor. This project is slated to take approximately a year to complete.”
For more information on the citywide project to improve Long Beach’s roads, bikeways and lighting fixtures, visit longbeach.gov .
