Long Beach has unveiled the design for Shoemaker Bridge — a critical traffic artery which connects drivers from Shoreline Drive and Seventh Street in downtown Long Beach to the 710 Freeway — which the city is hoping to rebuild in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The design was first revealed during a community meeting on Saturday, Dec. 9, and its unveiling marks a critical step forward in the project — which has been years in the making.
The existing Shoemaker Bridge, which was constructed in 1954 and has both structural and operational deficiencies, will be demolished and the new bridge will be built adjacent to its former location.
It will be replaced with a four-lane, cable-stayed bridge, the city said in a recent announcement, which will carry traffic from the 710 Freeway to a new elevated roundabout — which will, in turn, connect drivers to 7th Street and Shoreline Drive.
The new bridge, the announcement said, will also incorporate a shared-use path connecting Fashion Ave to a bike bath on the east bank of the LA River and Downtown; and will feature a pedestrian viewing area on its south side.
The project, estimated to cost about $900 million, is one of many the city plans to undertake over the next five years as part of its “Elevate ’28” initiative, which aims to upgrade city infrastructure, parks, and cultural hubs ahead of the Olympics.
“Long Beach will be home to yet another jewel,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in the announcement. “The new Shoemaker Bridge will be the first monument people see when they visit Long Beach. Projects like this will permanently transform the city landscape to re-connect communities, bring vital economic development to the region, and welcome visitors from all over the world to Long Beach.”
The bridge replacement, meanwhile, goes hand-in-hand with the city’s ongoing efforts to revamp Shoreline Drive.
That project — for which the city was recently awarded a $30 million federal grant — will create six acres of new park space for both Cesar Chavez by removing freeway lanes that have historically made the land inaccessible.
“The new Shoemaker Bridge will allow for other parts of the district to flourish,” First District Councilmember Mary Zendejas said in the news release. “The vision for this project is to reconnect communities and one of those ways is to add six new acres of parkland that wasn’t previously accessible.”
The $900 million project, meanwhile, is expected to be funded largely through federal and state grants, the city said.
Long Beach recently applied for a $400 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bridge Investment Program, according to Public Works Department spokesperson Joy Contreras.
There is about $9.62 billion in funding available for bridge projects estimated to cost more than $100 million through that program, according to DOT. It’s unclear when the department will announce grant awardees.
The City Council, meanwhile, was expected to approve a resolution asking the California Transportation Commission to “un-adopt” responsibility for the bridge’s surrounding roadways during its Tuesday, Dec. 12 meeting.
The CTC, according to a Tuesday, Dec. 12 city staff report, approved a plan to redevelop various highways in Long Beach — which included the Shoemaker Bridge and surrounding roads — in 200.
But those plans have since been abandoned, according to the staff report. The council’s resolution, if OK’d, would allow the city to take over operation and maintenance of the bridge.
Once approved, Long Beach will be able to begin applying for permits and regulatory approvals for the construction of the new Shoemaker Bridge, the city’s news release said.