I-710 & Florence Interchange Improvement
I-710 & Florence Interchange Improvement
The I-710/Florence Ave interchange improvement project aims to enhance safety and mobility for pedestrians and cyclists by redesigning the interchange configuration to reduce conflicts with vehicles.
OVERVIEW
I-710 is a major north-south interstate freeway connecting the City of Long Beach to central Los Angeles. The I-710 (also called the Long Beach Freeway) starts from the Port of Los Angeles in the south running along the Los Angeles River, and it continues north away from the river before ending near to the I-10 in City of Alhambra. This section of the freeway has heavy truck traffic due to trucks traveling between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and railroad freight yards near the I-710/I-5 interchange.
Within the project limits, this portion of I-710 is a ten-lane freeway (4 mixed-flow and 1 auxiliary in each direction) with a center median divider. The I-710/Florence Ave is a “cloverleaf” interchange built in the 1950s, and the existing interchange configuration consists of uncontrolled, skewed intersections with free flow on/off-ramps. Florence Ave Overcrossing is a six-lane bridge (2 through and 1 auxiliary in each direction) with nonstandard railings and five-foot-wide sidewalk in each direction. This is the long-term improvement project, one of the three separate improvement projects (short-term, mid-term, and long-term) at this interchange.Information for each can be found below:
Click image to enlarge
Downloadable PDF Version: Short-Term, Mid-Term, and Long-Term Alternative Designs can be found in the Documents section (right sidebar)
Long-Term Alternatives
Funding: 2024 State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP) | Capital Cost $12.4M (Based on Alternate 2)
- Alternative 1: Realign on/off Ramps
- Scope
- Realign all 8 Ramps perpendicular to Florence Avenue
- Raised Median on Florence Avenue
- Install Traffic Signals
- Restripe to include Bike Lanes
- Concrete Barrier Rail to separate On/Off Ramp
- Upgrade ADA Curb Ramps
- Upgrade Bridge Railing/Fencing
- Upgrade Sidewalk
- Class IV bike lane
- Reduce travel lane
- Funding
- Capital Cost $8.9M
- Scope
- Alternative 2: Reconfigure Interchange
- Scope
- Remove existing ramps to reduce 2 crosswalks
- Realign Ramps
- Install Traffic Signals
- Restripe for Bike Lanes
- Update ADA Curb Ramps
- Raised Median on Florence Avenue
- Concrete Barrier Rail to separate On/Off Ramp
- Upgrade Bridge Railing/Fencing
- Upgrade Sidewalk
- Class IV bike lane
- Reduce travel lane
- Funding
- Capital Cost $12.4M
- Scope
- Alternative 3: Pedestrian and Bike Overcrossing
- Scope
- Construct New Pedestrian and Bike Overscrossing
- Upgrade 2 ADA Curb Ramps
- Funding
- Capital Cost $48.3M
- Scope
- Alternative 4: No Build Alternative
- No build alternative will mean project features conclude at the mid term improvements project. This alternative would leave the existing facilities in their current condition and no proposed improvements would be made. This alternative does not meet the purpose and need of this project.
The Purpose
The purpose of this project is to improve safety and enhance mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists by improving the interchange configuration to reduce potential conflicts between vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
The Need
Intersections and interchanges are major points of conflict for road users and are the frequent site of injuries and fatalities. In California, nearly 20 percent of pedestrian fatalities, and a quarter of bicyclist fatalities occur at intersections. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), one in six people who died in crashes in 2020 were pedestrians, and higher vehicle speeds increase both the likelihood of a pedestrian being struck by a car and the injury severity. The existing configuration of the I-710/Florence Ave. interchange consists of mostly uncontrolled, skewed intersections with free flow on/off-ramps that may result in conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians at the crosswalks.
Project Phases
Map of Project Area
Click to enlarge map of project area