The Californer - Long Beach Public Works to Host Community Meeting on the Pacific Avenue Transformation Project

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Long Beach, CA ~ Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach Department of Public Works is gearing up for a major corridor improvement project that will transform Pacific Avenue into a safer and more accessible route for motorists, transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The proposed Pacific Avenue Transformation Project will span over 1.5 miles from Ocean Boulevard to Pacific Coast Highway and is set to begin construction in the fall of 2026.

To inform the community about this project, the Department of Public Works will be hosting a community meeting on Thursday, April 2, 2026 at the Billie Jean King Main Library. The meeting will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and will provide an overview of the project's design features, safety benefits, and anticipated timeline. Attendees will also have the opportunity to speak with project team members, view visual displays, and ask questions. Interpretation services in Spanish, Khmer, and Tagalog will be available.

The Pacific Avenue Transformation Project aligns with the City's Safe Streets Long Beach Action Plan and its implementation of Vision Zero and Complete Streets approach. These initiatives aim to improve safety and accessibility along roadways in Long Beach. The project includes planned improvements such as physically separated bike lanes, protected intersections, high-visibility crosswalks, and accessibility upgrades.

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According to Safe Streets Long Beach, many wide streets in the city encourage dangerous vehicle speeds. By reconfiguring travel lanes on Pacific Avenue from five lanes to one lane in each direction, the likelihood of traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries along the corridor will be reduced. This change is expected to have minimal impact on commute times. Additionally, new bus boarding areas and shelters will be installed along with reconstructed curb ramps, sidewalk upgrades, signal enhancements, and more. These improvements aim to create a safer corridor while also strengthening connections between neighborhoods, schools, and parks.

Pacific Avenue was identified as having the fourth-highest rate of severe crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists in the 2020 Safe Streets Long Beach Plan High-Injury Network. Since 2020, four people have died in vehicular collisions along the corridor, three of whom were pedestrians. A traffic study conducted by the Public Works Traffic Engineering team in November 2024 found that only 14% of drivers traveled at or under the 25-mph speed limit on Pacific Avenue.

Through community outreach efforts such as meetings, focus groups, and public events, residents have identified street design improvements as a top priority for enhancing roadway safety. The Pacific Avenue Transformation Project is funded by a grant from the Caltrans Active Transportation Program and a Surface Transportation Block Grant. It will also support the City's Bicycle Master Plan by closing a critical gap in Long Beach's bicycle network with a connection to existing east-west bikeways on 3rd Street, Broadway, and 14th Street. Additionally, this project will create a safer connection to regional transit services such as the Metro A Line, Long Beach Transit, and Torrance Transit routes. It will also improve access to key community destinations like Washington Middle School, 14th Street Park, Billie Jean King Main Library, and more.

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This project is part of the City's commitment to implementing the Complete Streets model and the Safe Streets Long Beach Action Plan. Other major corridor improvements include the ongoing Studebaker Road Transformation Project and projects on Clark Avenue. The Pacific Avenue Transformation Project represents an important step towards creating a safer, more connected, and equitable transportation network.

The City has been awarded a $25 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All program for improvements to the northern segment of Pacific Avenue from Pacific Coast Highway to Wardlow Road. This project is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026.

For more information about the Pacific Avenue Transformation Project and how to participate in or submit questions ahead of the community meeting, visit lbcity.info/pacificavesouth. Media inquiries can be directed to Jocelin Padilla-Razo, Community Information Officer for the Department of Public Works, at 562.570.4668 or LBPWMedia@longbeach.gov.

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