Map courtesy of Cal State Long Beach Project Information and Updates.
Fall semester began last week at Cal State University Long Beach, but the construction surrounding the campus looks to be far from complete.
CSULB started construction on several parking lots on campus this year, including Lot 7 off of 7th Street and Lot 14 off of Atherton Street, then slowly started construction off of East State University Drive leading onto Campus Road.
With the added summer construction on West Campus Drive still blocking the west turnaround and preventing traffic flow, it’s been a stop-and-go situation not just on campus, but also for the surrounding area.
In addition to the ongoing construction, the Administration announced today that the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will be closing one lane in both directions of SR-22 (7th Street) from Channel Drive to Pepper Tree Lane beginning September 7 to September 22, Monday to Friday 8:30AM to 3:30PM. This construction will include upgrades to the sidewalk curb-ramps to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act and installing new pedestrian push buttons.
Completed construction includes the installation of carport solar panels to both lots 7 and 14, as part of the university’s commitment to sustainability and reaching its goal of climate neutrality by 2030.
With no end seemingly in sight to the improvements, students have voiced dissatisfaction with the ongoing efforts of the college to divert added traffic to the already heavy backup that the start of any semester brings.
On CSULB’s Instagram account students commented:
- @jeffreylikeskitties: The only barrier is finding parking.
- @nicolepickle_: Can you guys do something about the parking here? Other schools have better parking systems and this school is still stuck in the past. Fix it!!!
- @elvisischaka_: Idk why you guys spontaneously raised the price on parking permits when guys took away like 50 parking spots by installing those solar panels
- @fruit.friend: good thing the 3 people who have electric cars can charge them now. and the other 47 spots can go unused for the rest of the semester
- @karlosnomadic: Can anyone explain to me how getting rid of “costly” printing of parking permits and switching over to license plate recognition cameras was a smart transition? in the end students are paying more for parking with already announces hikes in coming semesters? #ButThatsNoneOfMyBusiness
Long Beach Transit routes through campus are affected by the construction. Bus patrons are encouraged to check the website here for updates. For more information on CSULB Project Planning, visit the website here.