Good morning, Long Beach. It’s Monday, April 27. Here’s what you need to know to start your day. Get this in your inbox by signing up at LPPost.com/newsletters.
Contrary to some erroneous reports out there, the Shoemaker Bridge that connects the 710 Freeway to downtown Long Beach is not closing for good this year.
The bridge will be closed for a single weekend as part of a phased demolition of two of its on- and off-ramps to the immediate west.
The demolitions are to make way for the Port of Long Beach’s massive Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, a $1.6 billion project that will triple the port’s current capacity to move cargo by train. Construction in the area is expected to begin immediately after demolition and continue until 2032.
Currently, the ramps connect the bridge to Ninth and 10th Street in West Long Beach. They will be permanently closed on May 4. As part of the demolition, workers will temporarily close sections of highway around the ramps across three weekends: first, a section of the northbound 710 Freeway, then the Shoemaker Bridge and finally part of the southbound 710 Freeway.
Dates for these closures have not yet been set, though port officials say each should last from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday. Signs will be posted along nearby streets directing traffic elsewhere. For more information about the road closure, click here.
Permanently shutting the Shoemaker Bridge altogether would be a major headache for lots of 710 commuters, which explains why officials last week were trying to get the bad information corrected in other news outlets.
The ramps being shut down, though, aren’t as trafficked: The off-ramp heading north and west from Shoemaker Bridge to Ninth Street averages 3,500 drivers a day; the off-ramp from the bridge at Sixth Street averages about 12,000 drivers a day.
The demolitions are separate from a city’s $900 million proposal to replace the 72-year-old Shoemaker Bridge ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games. With only 30% of the needed design budget secured, the new bridge is still contingent on acquiring hundreds of millions more in funding, which the city says it’s “actively pursuing.”
City meetings
No city meetings this week. They’re all off or canceled, which happens sometimes during the last week of the month.
Business events and information
- Crews broke ground last week on a $37 million overhaul of the city airport’s concourses and 11 gateways. Improvements include a remodel of gate areas and restrooms, charging stations fitted to lobby seats and information monitors throughout. There will also be additional seating, shading, lighting and intercoms installed, as well as a grassy space for animals. You can read more about the project here.
- Some networking events to consider: the Long Beach Young Professionals are having an evening mixer on Wednesday at Encore Gas & Supply (2900 E. 29th Street); tickets start at $15 for members. Then, the Chamber of Commerce on Thursday is celebrating its 2026 City National Bank Entrepreneur of the Year at the Hyatt Regency. For more information, visit here. And finally, that evening, the chamber is hosting a tropical island-themed mixer at Shannons (209 Pine Ave.). Tickets start at $15.
ICYMI — California and national news
- Water damage shuts down city’s main homeless services center; it will operate out of tents for months (Long Beach Post)
- At Poly High, a growing movement asks kids to consider the trades — not just college — after graduation (Long Beach Post)
- A landslide brought it down: How Rancho Palos Verdes’ beloved trails have been forever altered (LAist)
- Why Meta is laying off 10% of its workforce (Los Angeles Times)
- While California’s tourism rallied, L.A. faced its worst year since the pandemic (Los Angeles Times)