A stretch of the northbound 710 Freeway will close this weekend for demolition of ramps connecting the Shoemaker Bridge to the downtown area.
The closure, the first of three planned over consecutive weekends, will affect the northbound 710 Freeway from Ocean Boulevard to Anaheim Street from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, according to Port of Long Beach officials.
The Shoemaker Bridge will be closed from 10 p.m. Sept. 18 until 5 a.m. Sept. 21, followed by a closure of the southbound 710 Freeway from Anaheim Street to Pico Avenue from 10 p.m. Sept. 25 until 5 a.m. Sept. 28.
Except during the Sept. 18-21 closure, motorists will be able to access the Shoemaker Bridge from West Seventh Street, West Third Street, West Ocean Boulevard and West Shoreline Drive east of the Los Angeles River.
The ramps being demolished have been closed since May, and motorists have been using alternate routes including Willow Street, Pacific Coast Highway, Anaheim Street, Ocean Boulevard and the Queensway Bridge, according to port officials.
During this weekend’s northbound 710 closure, drivers traveling north or south on Pico Avenue and north on Harbor Scenic Drive will be directed onto Ocean Boulevard. Motorists seeking the northbound 710 will be directed north on Long BeachBoulevard and west on Anaheim Street to the freeway onramp.
Port and Terminal Island traffic will be directed around the closure using Alameda Street and the Terminal Island Freeway/State Route 103.
Trucks traveling on Pier A Way, Pier B Street and Harbor Scenic Drive will be directed west on Anaheim Street. Trucks traveling from San Pedro on Pacific Avenue or John S. Gibson Boulevard will be directed east on Harry Bridges Boulevard, north on Alameda Street and east on 220th Street to reach the southbound 405Freeway.
During the Sept. 18-21 Shoemaker Bridge closure, motorists will be able to access both directions of the 710 Freeway at Anaheim Street.
For the Sept. 25-28 southbound 710 closure, passenger vehicles will generally be routed through downtown Long Beach using Shoreline Drive, Broadway, Magnolia Avenue and Ocean Boulevard to reach the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge. Trucks will be routed primarily through Pacific Coast Highway, the Terminal Island Freeway and Alameda Street.
Signs will be posted throughout affected areas to direct motorists along detour routes, officials said.
The city of Long Beach is replacing the Shoemaker Bridge as part of a separate project.