22 Freeway Closure Forces Detours For Long Beach Commuters
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Commuters along the eastbound 22 Freeway will have to find another way to get to the southbound 405 for the next two weeks.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports drivers are apparently finding alternate routes without major problems — at least so far.
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Starting Monday, drivers will be detoured off Seventh Street onto Studebaker Road and other surface streets to get to the San Diego Freeway.
The eastbound 22 Freeway connector is being shut down for realignment to adjust for the widening on the 405 to accommodate a new carpool lane.
Bill Gilchrist, Senior Resident Engineer with Caltrans, said while there were some issues on the first day of the closure, they are expected to diminish as commuters begin to make alternate plans.
"Tuesday and Wednesday of this week we'll see the backup thin out because people will start avoiding the area," said Gilchrist.
Caltrans could have closed only one lane at a time on the project, but Gilchrist said when that option was considered, the estimated time for project completion skyrocketed to four months - with higher costs as well.
"Striping and the pavement, the temporary pavement that we would've needed to do this would probably be in the tens of thousands of dollars," he said.
Traffic on the eastbound 22 Freeway will still be allowed to access the northbound San Gabriel (605) Freeway during the closure.
For a full list of suggested alternate routes, visit the Orange County Transportation Authority website.
