City officials gathered Saturday to celebrate the completion of a revamped North Long Beach corridor that’s been over a decade in the making.
The $44.2 million project updated a 3.2-mile stretch of Artesia Boulevard that runs from Compton’s eastern edge to Bellflower’s western border.
Improvements include protected bike lanes on each side of the roadway, repaved roads and sidewalks, six new crosswalks, accessibility improvements to 19 bus stops, 400 newly planted drought-tolerant trees, four new traffic signals, more lighting for pedestrians and Intelligent Transportation System equipment that aims to reduce collisions and improve traffic flow.
“This was a long time coming for this North Long Beach community,” Mayor Rex Richardson said.
He recalled former councilmember Steve Neal calling for the project as early as 2010, when Richardson was Neal’s chief of staff.
Community outreach for the project began in 2016, according to the city. Construction began in January 2023 and wrapped up earlier this month.
Ninth District Councilmember Joni Ricks-Oddie said the project “marks one of the most transformative infrastructure investments in North Long Beach in a generation.”
A mural inspired by the neighborhood’s Uptown Jazz Festival was also added at the 91 Freeway underpass off Artesia Boulevard. It was funded through a $180,000 Clean California local grant.
Signage for “Uptown” also accompanies several bus stops along Artesia Boulevard.
“It’s great that they did this,” said 25-year North Long Beach resident Diane Young.
Saturday’s event included a “bike rodeo” for children to practice riding a course made up of bumps and cones, free bike tune-ups and a community bike ride. It was billed as the culmination of the city’s celebration of National Bike Month.
A majority of the project’s funding — $31.5 million — came from grants through the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Half a million dollars came from the city’s Measure A sales tax and the remaining $12.2 million from the city’s infrastructure fund.
The completed thoroughfare helps “create a more welcoming environment for everyone who lives, works, and travels through the area,” said 8th District Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk.
She commended the improvements to the corridor for creating “a road we can ease on down.”
According to collision data from 2013 to 2017, Artesia Boulevard was considered a “high-injury corridor” for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Brigitte Schroeder and Hartmut Schroeder, who moved to Long Beach 35 years ago from Germany, said the new protected bike lanes should encourage more bikers to use the road.
“This is a great design,” said Rose Park resident and avid bicyclist Kyle O’Connell.
He said he would like to see more protected bike lanes added throughout the city, especially along Pacific Coast Highway.
The city created a bronze plaque to commemorate the project, which will be permanently installed near the intersection of Artesia Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue.
“This project isn’t just about repaving a street — it’s about reimagining what’s possible for our community,” Ricks-Oddie said.