Coastal Bike Trail Connector at Ocean Boulevard Bridge
Award
Bikeways & Trails Project
Description
Under the Port’s strategic goal of developing and maintaining state-of-the-art infrastructure, this project provided a total of half a mile length of Class I bike path on the Ocean Boulevard Bridge, connecting the Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle Path on the City’s existing and planned bike network to the Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge. The Project will also provide a connection by way of Golden Shore Avenue to the Los Angeles River bike path and closes a gap in the California Coastal Trail.
The on-ramp from Pico Ave onto Ocean Boulevard was demolished and re-aligned as part of this project with new asphalt and landscaping. The remainder of the bike path is safeguarded from adjacent vehicular traffic with a line of steel barriers along the Ocean Boulevard Bridge. Another aspect of this project was the retaining wall at the abutment of the new bridge connecting into the existing Ocean Boulevard. The retaining wall included decorative panels.
The foundation of the bridge consisted of size cast-in-drilled-hole piles (CIDH), five of which for each of the bent columns were 87 inches in diameter while the CIDH pile for the abutment was 36 inch in diameter. The cast-in-place bridge was Phase I of the project while the second phase of the project included street improvements along Ocean Boulevard that consisted of new signage, bollards and striping.
This new pedestrian bridge also features benches looking over the scenic harbor with a direct view of the Queen Mary. Additionally, artistic graphic imprints depicting the history of the Port of Long Beach dating back to 1890 was sandblasted into the concrete deck to provide a short timeline to passerby cyclists about the major milestones of the Port.
The grand opening ceremony of the bike path was on May 20th 2023.
Branch
