You may have noticed a lot of new wood-and-steel falsework above the Pico Avenue and Ocean Boulevard intersection. This falsework supports the construction of two off-ramps from the eastbound decline into the city. One will head into downtown Long Beach via Ocean Boulevard (pictured right), and the other will wrap around the Pier E connector ramp to Pico Avenue for motorists headed into the Port (pictured left). Pictured in the upper right is the new northbound 710 connector ramp.
Note that the Ocean Boulevard ramp has its stem-and-soffit forms ready for laying down rebar. The Pier E connector ramp is still taking shape.
While it may be hard to imagine, the Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle Pedestrian Path will travel up the south side of the Pier E connector ramp. Cyclists will begin on Pico Avenue, the street under these two ramps, and curl around the far side of the Pier E connector ramp as they head up the new bridge.
Over the next few weeks, there will be concrete pours for the two ramps with accompanying night-time closures, so be on the lookout for those detours. Other than the main span, these ramps are the last significant structural construction that will occur on the Bridge Project.
