The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will conduct four extended weekend closures on the Long Beach Freeway (I-710) in both northbound and southbound directions from just south of Firestone Boulevard to just north of the Glenn Anderson Freeway (I-105). The construction taking place is part of the I-710 Long Life Pavement Rehabilitation Project to replace 10 to 15 inches of aging pavement from I-405 to I-5.
This weekend’s closure begins Friday, September 10 at 11:45 p.m. and continues through Monday, September 13 at 5 a.m. FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES will occur twice during the weekend: Friday at 11:45 p.m. until Saturday at 6 a.m., and again on Sunday at 11 p.m. until Monday at 5 a.m.
During the first six-hour FULL FREEWAY CLOSURE, moveable median barriers will be placed that will guide all motorists onto the southbound side when I-710 is re-opened on Saturday at 6 a.m. The number of lanes available to motorists will be reduced: two lanes for northbound travel and three for southbound. On Sunday at 11 p.m., another FULL CLOSURE occurs to remove the temporary barriers in time for the Monday morning commute.
CLOSED On-ramps to northbound I-710:
Eastbound & westbound on-ramps from Rosecrans Avenue and Imperial Highway
CLOSED On-ramps to southbound I-710:
Eastbound & westbound on-ramps from Florence Avenue, Firestone Boulevard and Imperial Hwy
CLOSED Freeway Connectors: Eastbound and westbound I-105 to northbound I-710
I-710 Full Freeway Closures are scheduled for these 4 weekends:
September 17-20
September 24-27
October 1-4
October 8-11
RESTRICTIONS: Speed reduced to 45mph. No oversized loads permitted due to narrow lanes.
DELAYS AND DETOURS: Motorists can expect delays and are advised to use alternate routes and marked street detours. Trucks are advised to use Garfield Avenue.
PROJECT DETAILS: This pavement rehabilitation project will apply several layers of a long life asphalt concrete mix that will provide the roadway with several decades of service, improve pavement performance, require less future maintenance and result in a smoother ride for the traveling public. The contractor for the $50 million project is Sully-Miller. The project is over 50% complete. The estimated completion date is spring 2011.
BENEFITS OF EXTENDED WEEKEND CLOSURES: Moving all motorists to one side of the freeway allows construction crews to work safely and continuously for 53 hours throughout the weekend. This schedule is cost effective and reduces the need for weeknight closures when traffic volumes are normally higher.