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.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will conduct six 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, August 27 at 11:45 p.m. and continues through Monday, August 30 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 northbound 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 6 weekends:
August 27-30
(No construction Labor Day weekend    September 3-6)
September 10-13 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 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.



Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe was selected today to be the next Chair of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, effective July 1, 2010. Outgoing Metro Chair and Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian entered a motion, which was unanimously approved by the Board, nominating Supervisor Knabe as the next Chair.

“As Chair of the MTA, I will promote a balanced transportation plan that equitably benefits residents in all parts of Los Angeles County,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Our efforts must also include accelerating upgrades to our highways and improving our existing mass transit system.”

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was nominated to serve as the Board’s First Vice Chair and Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich will serve as Second Vice Chair.

In an effort to collect community ideas about ways to reconnect Los Angeles and Orange counties, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) will hold a series of community meetings this month. The public meetings are part of a 22-month long transportation study to explore the re-use of the West Santa Ana Branch of the existing–but unused –20 mile-long Pacific Electric (PE) railroad right-of-way.

Sponsored by SCAG in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), the aim of the study is to identify new transportation options, station locations, and recreational and economic development opportunities. The study, will also examine tradeoffs associated with different types of transportation, including light rail, street cars, dedicated bus lanes, commuter rail and high speed rail options. Community input is central to the study.

Community Meeting Schedule

• Tuesday, June 15, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Garden Grove Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92840
• Wednesday, June 16, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Huntington Park Community Center, 6925 Salt Lake Avenue, Huntington Park, CA 90255
• Thursday, June 17, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Cypress Community Center, 5700 Orange Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630
• Saturday, June 19, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Cerritos Park East Community Center, 13234 East 166th Street, Cerritos, CA 90703
• Tuesday, June 22, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Progress Park Plaza, West Auditorium, 15500 Downey Avenue, Paramount, CA 90723
• Wednesday, June 23, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Stanton Council Chambers, 7800 Katella Avenue, Stanton, CA 90680

Community input received in these meetings will lead to identification of an initial set of alternative transportation strategies, and the criteria for evaluating these strategies as part of the technical analysis. A second round of community meetings is slated for fall 2010 to present a recommended set of possible transportation alternatives, including station locations. A technical assessment of the alternatives will be performed and the resulting information, such as engineering viability, estimated capital costs and environmental issues will also be presented. In fall 2011, a third set of community meetings will solicit input on the “preferred alternative.”

Councilmember Diane DuBois of Lakewood, Co-chair of the Steering Committee for the study, says, “We urge everyone to join us at these public workshops. We want to encourage the community to look at this resource with new eyes and realize that the possibilities are significant – access to more jobs, along with recreational, educational, and economic development opportunities when cities need it most.”

Steering Committee Co-chair, Mayor Art Brown of Buena Park, adds, “If we can come up with a regional solution to relieve traffic congestion, meet the travel demands of residents, and serve as a catalyst for economic development for cities spanning from Santa Ana to Union Station in LA, we will have met our charge and more.”

For more information, visit the project website at www.scag.ca.gov/perow or call Philip Law, SCAG Corridors Program Manager, at (213) 236-1841.

In an effort to collect community ideas about ways to reconnect Los Angeles and Orange counties, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) will hold a series of community meetings this month. The public meetings are part of a 22-month long transportation study to explore the re-use of the West Santa Ana Branch of the existing-but unused -20 mile-long Pacific Electric (PE) railroad right-of-way.

Sponsored by SCAG in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), the aim of the study is to identify new transportation options, station locations, and recreational and economic development opportunities. The study, will also examine tradeoffs associated with different types of transportation, including light rail, street cars, dedicated bus lanes, commuter rail and high speed rail options. Community input is central to the study.

Community Meeting Schedule

Tuesday, June 15, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Garden Grove Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92840

Wednesday, June 16, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Huntington Park Community Center, 6925 Salt Lake Avenue, Huntington Park, CA 90255

Thursday, June 17, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Cypress Community Center, 5700 Orange Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630

Saturday, June 19, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Cerritos Park East Community Center, 13234 East 166th Street, Cerritos, CA 90703

Tuesday, June 22, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Progress Park Plaza, West Auditorium, 15500 Downey Avenue, Paramount, CA 90723

Wednesday, June 23, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Stanton Council Chambers, 7800 Katella Avenue, Stanton, CA 90680

Community input received in these meetings will lead to identification of an initial set of alternative transportation strategies, and the criteria for evaluating these strategies as part of the technical analysis. A second round of community meetings is slated for fall 2010 to present a recommended set of possible transportation alternatives, including station locations. A technical assessment of the alternatives will be performed and the resulting information, such as engineering viability, estimated capital costs and environmental issues will also be presented. In fall 2011, a third set of community meetings will solicit input on the preferred alternative.

Councilmember Diane DuBois of Lakewood, Co-chair of the Steering Committee for the study, says, We urge everyone to join us at these public workshops. We want to encourage the community to look at this resource with new eyes and realize that the possibilities are significant – access to more jobs, along with recreational, educational, and economic development opportunities when cities need it most.

Steering Committee Co-chair, Mayor Art Brown of Buena Park, adds, If we can come up with a regional solution to relieve traffic congestion, meet the travel demands of residents, and serve as a catalyst for economic development for cities spanning from Santa Ana to Union Station in LA, we will have met our charge and more.

For more information, visit the project website at www.scag.ca.gov/perow or call Philip Law, SCAG Corridors Program Manager, at (213) 236-1841.

Bicycle riders are invited to participate in the second series of community workshops on the countywide Bicycle Master Plan, currently being developed by the Los Angeles County Public Works Department.

The Master Plan seeks to expand and connect County bikeways, improve existing County bicycle facilities, develop and prioritize a list of proposed new bikeways and bicycle projects, and promote bicycle usage.

As part of the effort, the Public Works Department is hosting three series of community workshops to obtain input on the Master Plan. During this second series, workshop participants will have an opportunity to review the input provided to date, and recommend additional bikeways and bicycle facilities for the Plan.

The workshops will begin on June 2, 2010, and end on June 30, 2010. Meetings will be held in Marina del Rey, Topanga, East Los Angeles, Ladera Heights, Newhall, Hacienda Heights, Baldwin Park, Calabasas, Lancaster and Athens Village.

A third series of workshops will be held later this year.

Visit www.lacountybikeplan.org to obtain the date, time and location of the workshop nearest you or for more information on the Bicycle Master Plan. For questions, contact County Bikeway Coordinator, Abu Yusuf, at (626) 458-3940 or ayusuf@dpw.lacounty.gov

Supervisor Don Knabe today announced that the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $708,000 in funding for the continuation of paratransit shuttle service for eligible patrons in the unincorporated areas of the Fourth District for Fiscal Year 2010-2011.

The program will include the following paratransit shuttle services: La Rambla, Marina del Rey, Rancho Los Amigos, Teen Mother, and the Whittier Islands.

“I am pleased to be able to secure the funds for this service,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Many of our transit dependent residents utilize public transportation and these shuttle services are a vital component of their livelihood.”

The County will provide funding through the Fourth District’s Proposition A Local Return Transit Program. The financing continues the successful shuttle service for eligible patrons of the unincorporated areas of the Fourth District, improving mobility for transit dependant patrons.