MAYOR REX RICHARDSON
CITY OF LONG BEACH
September 10, 2026
Stephanie Wiggins
CEO, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority RE: Shoreline Drive Realignment: Overview of Project and Funding Need Dear Ms. Wiggins,
The City of Long Beach respectfully requests that the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors allocate $35 million to close the remaining construction funding gap for the Shoreline Drive Realignment Project (Project). Metro's prior support was instrumental in allowing the City to leverage local and Metro resources and secure $30 million in federal funding through the Fiscal Year 2022 U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities Grant Program. With an additional Metro allocation, the City can preserve this significant federal investment, advance the Project to construction, and complete a transformative regional mobility and communityconnection project in Downtown Long Beach.
Project Benefits
Shoreline Drive, historically part of California’s interstate freeway network as I-710, was constructed though the working-class Magnolia and West Long Beach neighborhoods, displacing homes and business and replacing them with wide, high-speed divided roadway that exists today. In its current configuration, Shoreline Drive functions as a significant barrier between surrounding neighborhoods from public open space, limiting safe and direct access to community amenities.
The Shoreline Drive Realignment Project will transform this former freeway corridor into a safer, more context-appropriate local arterial that reconnects neighborhoods with park space. Key project Improvements will include, but not limited to:
• Realigning northbound Shoreline Drive to the west, alongside the existing southbound Shoreline Drive to restore safe and direct access to Cesar Chavez Park; • Reducing Shoreline Drive roadbed, south of Ocean Boulevard, to two lanes in each direction, while also adding a shared bicycle and pedestrian path and expanding adjacent green space;
• Reconstructing Broadway as a two-way street between the newly realigned Shoreline Drive and Magnolia Avenue;
• Reconfiguring Third Street between Golden Avenue and Magnolia Avenue to become a twoway street; and • Constructing approximately 1.4 miles of a pedestrian and bicycle network, creating a more connected active transportation network throughout the project area.
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Together these improvements will remove a longstanding transportation barrier and restore community access to approximately 5.5 acres of open space in a historically underserved area that lacks large parks. The project will also create the opportunity for a contiguous 22-acre park system, providing expanded opportunities for recreation, gathering and connection to nature.
The Project will improve the safety, quality, and reliability of travel within and around Downtown Long Beach by reshaping Shoreline Drive into a roadway that better reflects its surrounding urban content.
New multi-use paths, sidewalks, and energy-efficient LED lighting will expand low-impact, environmentally friendly transportation options and create safer more accessible connections for people walking, bicycling and using other forms of active transportation.
The Project is part of a broader set of City investments intended to reconnect communities, improve safe travel, expand access to recreation, and support economic opportunity in areas of persistent poverty. These related efforts include the expansion of Chavez Park, implementation of the DrakeChavez Park Master Plan, and replacement of the Shoemaker Bridge on Route 710. The benefits of the Shoreline Drive realignment will be reinforced by these complementary projects, creating a connected network of transportation and public-space improvements that will enhance the quality of life for Long Beach residents and visitors.
Funding Request and Delivery Schedule
The Shoreline Drive realignment project is shovel ready and construction bids are in hand but expire in October. Despite the $30 million federal grant award, the Project currently faces an additional estimated $35 million construction funding gap. The City is therefore seeking a $35 million Metro allocation to close this gap and fully fund the construction program. Metro's additional support will directly advance improved traffic operations and safety, multimodal infrastructure, climate resilience, and park equity in a historically disadvantaged area of Long Beach. This $35 million will be utilized for the Shoreline Drive Realignment Project and any available funding leftover upon project completion will be returned.
The City has developed a two-phase construction strategy that allows work to proceed expeditiously while accommodating the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. Phase 1, located south of Ocean Boulevard, is scheduled to begin first and be completed before Long Beach hosts events for the 2028 Games. Phase 2, located north of Ocean Boulevard and includes the new park component, is planned to begin in fall 2028 following the Games. This sequencing will allow the City to move the Project forward now, preserve the $30 million federal investment, and showcase the completed Phase 1 improvements to an international audience during the 2028 Games.
The current federal grant period expires on September 30, 2027. City staff are actively coordinating with federal partners to secure an extension that would accommodate the Phase 2 schedule following the 2028 Games. Metro's timely commitment is essential to maintain project momentum, deliver Phase 1 of the project prior to the 2028 and ensure $30 million in federal grant funds do not go unused.
The City greatly appreciates Metro's longstanding partnership and respectfully requests the Board's consideration of an additional $35 million allocation for the Shoreline Drive Realignment Project. A
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separate letter setting forth the proposed terms of the requested allocation has been submitted for the Board's further consideration. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Patterson, Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Government Affairs, at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Rex Richardson
Mayor of Long Beach
CC: April Walker, Assistant City Manager, City of Long Beach Joshua Hickman, Director of Public Works, City of Long Beach Dawn Henderson, Deputy Director of Public Works, City of Long Beach Sarah Patterson, Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Government Affairs, City of Long Beach