A 1.5-mile section of Atherton St. will be improved soon with new center medians, curbs and gutters while work is also planned to begin on Alamitos Ave. to make underground all of the overhead utility lines. Construction on Atherton will last about 90 days while the utility work on Alamitos is expected to take six to eight months.
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The busy stretch of Atherton between Bellflower Boulevard and Studebaker Road is being renovated to improve the street’s aging plant life and wasteful irrigation system and will include the elimination of 32 currently diseased trees, which are to be replaced with 106 new drought-tolerant trees, an extensive array of California native and other low-maintenance, drought-resistant shrubs and plants. A new irrigation system will also be installed and is designed to be a highly water-efficient subsurface drip-type, and existing “smart” irrigation controllers will be upgraded and reprogrammed to meet project needs. In addition, recycled wood mulch will be used to retain soil moisture and deter weed growth.
“More than 37,000 pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and motorists travel along this street daily, and this street enhancement project will benefit them, the community and our city’s infrastructure as well,” Mayor Bob Foster said.
The project is being funded using a $703,000 grant from the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority plus $202,412 from the City’s Proposition C monies. Work is anticipated to begin shortly and during the time, motorists are advised to use alternate routes during construction.
“After the refurbishment of the median islands, the City plans to resurface the street with new asphalt, and will work closely with officials from the nearby California State University, Long Beach to minimize any impacts to campus traffic,” the City said in a press release.
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Southern California Edison and other utility companies are soon starting work on Alamitos Ave. between 7th St. and Pacific Coast Highwat to remove the overhead power lines and place them underground. Construction in the public right-of-way will continue for six to eight months with at least one lane in each direction to be open at all times, though closures of specific blocks are expected as work progresses.
Traffic delays are expected. Parking and access to some driveways may be impacted during construction hours, which are from 7:30AM to 4:30PM on weekdays only. Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists are encouraged to use alternative routes when possible.
“This project will provide several benefits to the community,” Mayor Bob Foster said in a press release. “Placing utility lines underground lowers tree-trimming costs; improves reliability from system upgrades during the undergrounding process; lowers the number of motor vehicle accidents involving striking utility poles; reduces the risk of live-wire contact injuries; and improves aesthetics and property values.”
Construction costs are paid for by each of the affected utilities with funds collected from all of SCE’s ratepayers, not just those in the impacted area.
According to a press release, the criteria for selecting areas for undergrounding utilities includes traffic volumes and the amount of overhead electrical facilities in the area. The undergrounding projects must provide a benefit to the general public, not just customers in the impacted area.
A Community Information Session regarding Alamitos Ave. work will be on Thursday, March 28, at 5PM at Ernest McBride Park’s Cal Rec Community Center, 1550 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave.
For more information on this and other Public Works projects in Long Beach, visit the City’s Public Works website.
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