Several freeways and traffic routes used frequently by students have been or will be temporarily closed. Some freeways became inaccessible as early as August and will remain so for as long as two years. For most of the closures, alternative routes have been marked for drivers.
Seventh Street 22 freeway connector to I-405 South
The eastbound State Route 22 freeway connector from Seventh Street to the southbound Interstate 405 freeway was closed Sunday at 11 p.m. and will be under construction for two weeks in order to add extra carpool lanes to the freeway.
Students can access the I-405 South by exiting through the northern side of the Cal State Long Beach campus and using the I-405 on-ramps through Palo Verde Avenue or Bellflower Boulevard.
Northbound I-405 connector to the northbound I-605 connector
The northbound I-405 connector to the northbound I-605 freeway will be closed for 55 hours, starting Sept. 7 at 10 p.m. and ending Sept. 10 at 5 a.m. Both connectors will close again Sept. 14 at 10 p.m. through Sept. 17 at 5 a.m.
Seal Beach Blvd. lane reduction
The Seal Beach Boulevard Bridge over the I-405 was reduced to one lane in both directions Aug. 19. The limited lanes may cause a slower commute for CSULB students who live in the Los Alamitos, Rossmoor or Seal Beach areas.
The bridge will be under construction for two years. One half of the bridge will be worked on at a time, OCTA Spokesperson Laura Scheper said.
There will be a lane dedicated for emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, ambulances and police cars.
During the first 11 months, one lane will be open in each direction. For the remainder of the time, two lanes will open up on either side of the bridge.
The carpool connectors on the 405, 605 and 22 freeways will also be widened during construction. The project, which is associated with the West County Connector Projectors, will cost about $277 million and be finished in 2014.
“We encourage people to avoid the area,” Scheper said.
Possible detours include Studebaker Road or Valley View Street.
710 southbound on-ramp closures in East Los Angeles and Commerce area
The westbound Atlantic Boulevard and Cesar Chavez southbound I-710 on-ramps in the Commerce and East Los Angeles areas are closed in order to widen the Long Beach freeway.
The construction is included in the $120 million pavement replacement project that covers areas from the Los Angeles River Bridge to the I-10 San Bernardino Freeway.
The on-ramps closed on Aug. 19 and will be under construction for 18 months.
Detour signs have been posted and can lead commuters to different routes. According to Caltrans Spokesperson Judy Gish, so far traffic issues have not been bad.
“I have not had any calls with any issues,” she said.
Senior child development student, Lorraine Flores, does not have to worry about the construction, but she said she believes it could affect other students.
“They would have to arrange their work schedule and school schedule,” Flores said. “Finding parking might be difficult … that takes extra time.”