Ports

A Mile High

Port of Long Beach Nears Completion of Elevated Ocean Boulevard

By Joe Florkowski

Construction crews are nearing completion on a $63 million project to raise Ocean Boulevard to ease traffic congestion and pollution at the Port of Long Beach.

The project began in January 2005 and is expected to be finished by May 2007. The aim of the project is to elevate Ocean Boulevard 20 ft. and eliminate some of the traffic signals that slow traffic on Ocean and Terminal Island Freeway.
Ocean Boulevard is a key route for truck drivers as it leads from the 710 Freeway to the terminals at the Port.

It was estimated that when the project began, an average of 50,000 drivers per day used the Ocean Boulevard and Terminal Island interchange. Much of that traffic has shifted to a detour built alongside Ocean.

About one mi. of Ocean Boulevard is being elevated, said Mike Bogner, program manager for the Port of Long Beach.
Two aspects of the project have challenged builders, according to Bogner. While excavating for the project, construction crews ram into problems with ground water. The condition of the soil has extended the construction time for a few months, he said. For years, the port was used by the U.S. Navy and as oil fields, which led to the contamination of soil in the area.

At the same time, crews are also dealing with a large amount of traffic near the construction site, he added.

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Currently, Ocean Boulevard is a six-lane roadway and the new elevated road will create two lanes in each direction, Bogner said. While that may seem like Ocean Boulevard is losing a lane, with a wider paved area and more ramp lanes, the project is actually gaining a lane in each direction, he said.

The project will also create a split-diamond interchange for Ocean and Terminal Island Freeway, he said.

Caltrans will take over the street after construction is complete, Bogner said.

Irvine-based Ortiz Enterprises Inc. is the main contractor for the project. Raising the interchange has created some unique challenges, such as reusing asphalt and concrete from the surrounding roadway, said Pat Ortiz, president and owner of Ortiz.
The number of MSE walls has also made it a unique project, he said.

Other than those challenges, it has been a fairly typical project for Ortiz, he said.

"It will eliminate some of the bottlenecks at the port," Ortiz said. "It will definitely ease congestion and reduce pollution."

A number of public agencies are funding the project, including the U.S. Department of Transportation, Caltrans, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Port of Long Beach.