At a community forum Wednesday, city officials will give their first update in months on a $36 million endeavor to restore Long Beach’s Colorado Lagoon.
The meeting will take place at the Recreation Park Community Center (4900 E. Seventh St.) at 6:30 p.m.
The project, which began its multi-phase plan in 2010 and 2012, is nearing completion of its final phase: the creation of a 12-foot-deep channel between the 18-acre lagoon and Alamitos Bay. The channel would establish a tidal flow between the saltwater bodies, improving the estuary’s health by replacing a 900-foot box culvert that offered poor circulation and accumulated bacteria, metals and other pollutants.
Officials said they will answer questions and provide updates on the project’s status, including what is finished and what work remains to be completed. Interpretation services will be provided in Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog.
The community meeting comes months after a Dec. 23 report by the Long Beach Post about complaints from workers who said they were ordered to bury or hide asbestos-containing material — spits of crude oil, creosote and asphalt — without informing city officials.
Worker’s complaints spawned several investigations by state and regional authorities who temporarily closed the site and ordered the removal of contaminated dirt.
The site has undergone six survey-and-abatement orders, tacking on at least $600,000 in costs and prolonging the project that’s now expected to finish in 2025. Each time asbestos has been discovered, the city assured, the project has immediately undergone the mandated procedures for cleanup: testing, tagging, bagging and safely disposing of contaminated dirt or debris.
On the city project website, updates show that work remains ongoing along Colorado and Eliot streets.
Workers built a temporary bypass to redirect sewer waste as crews build a new sewer line beneath the future Colorado Street Bridge. Along Eliot Street, sidewalk, storm drain and bridge work has been completed. Paving will soon take place along the roadway, which will serve as a staging area for materials as construction continues at Marina Vista Park and excavation along Colorado Street.
“Road closures remain in effect and are expected to continue through 2026,” according to a city report. “Colorado Street and Eliot Street construction zones are closed to all traffic.”
A temporary pedestrian path remains open.
Other utility work is expected to continue for multiple months, and additional abatement “associated with utility relocation and earthwork” will occur as needed.
And the Long Beach Fire Station 14, which underwent renovations starting in November 2023, is expected to reopen this month, with new storm drains and paving along its front face.
For more information about the project, visit longbeach.gov/coloradolagoonproject.