Motorists using the Long Beach (710) Freeway and Shoemaker Bridge were being advised Monday to prepare for a series of weekend closures in September as crews demolish ramps connecting the bridge to the North Harbor area.
The work will require closures on three consecutive weekends, beginning with the northbound 710 Freeway, followed by Shoemaker Bridge and then the southbound freeway, according to the Port of Long Beach.
The closures, each scheduled from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, are:
— Sept. 11-14: northbound 710 Freeway from Ocean Boulevard to Anaheim Street;
— Sept. 18-21: Shoemaker Bridge; and
— Sept. 25-28: southbound 710 Freeway from Anaheim Street to Pico Avenue.
Except during the Sept. 18-21 closure, motorists will still be able to access Shoemaker Bridge from West Seventh Street, West Third Street, West Ocean Boulevard and West Shoreline Drive, east of the Los Angeles River.
The ramps scheduled for demolition have been closed since May, with motorists already using alternate routes including Willow Street, Pacific Coast Highway, Anaheim Street, Ocean Boulevard and Queensway Bridge.
During the northbound freeway closure, motorists traveling north or south on Pico Avenue and north on Harbor Scenic Drive will be detoured onto Ocean Boulevard. Drivers seeking to access the northbound Long Beach Freeway will be directed north on Long Beach Boulevard and then west on Anaheim Street to the freeway onramp.
During the Shoemaker Bridge closure, motorists will be able to access both directions of the 710 Freeway at Anaheim Street.
For the southbound freeway closure, motorists will be directed off the freeway at Shoreline Drive and onto eastbound Broadway, then south on Magnolia Avenue and west on Ocean Boulevard to reach the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge.
Separate truck detours will use Alameda Street, the Terminal Island Freeway and other designated routes, according to the port.
The port will hold a public meeting on the closures from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center at Admiral Kidd Park, 2125 Santa Fe Ave.
The project is part of work to remove the closed ramps connecting Shoemaker Bridge to the North Harbor area.