Carmageddon, the Y2K of the teens, was hyped to the nth degree by Metro, the mayor, and Caltrans, prompting national and international headlines about the single-weekend closure of the Westside's 405 freeway. Compare that to the reaction as the 710, aka the Long Beach Freeway, gears up for "10 weekends of 53-hour extended closures and full freeway closures on the Long Beach Freeway (I-710) beginning August 5," according to the Long Beach Post, one of the only websites offering news on the closure. Caltrans is shutting down the freeway for the third phase of the $84 million I-710 Long Life Pavement Rehabilitation Project--this portion of the project affects cities like Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, South Gate, and Downey and includes pavement replacement, shoulder reconstruction and widening, replacement of the metal median barrier guardrail with concrete barriers, installation of underground fiber optics for traffic data collection, and new "changeable message signs" and ramp metering systems.
The work will require complete shut-downs for six hours during early Saturdays and early Mondays, with extended closures during the days. It's difficult to say with certainty where the project begins and ends (another indication of how little publicity there's been): Caltrans's website says the project stretches from just south of Firestone Blvd. to just south of Atlantic Blvd., but the LB Post and Truckingfo.com say it covers a larger swath, from the 105 freeway to Atlantic Blvd. Image via bigmikelakers
· 710 Freeway to Be Fully Closed Between 105 Freeway, Atlantic Blvd. [LB Post]
· I-710 Long Life Pavement Project from Firestone to Slauson [Caltrans]
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