Construction crews this week began assembling the the future Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle Pedestrian Path along the south side of the main span. Support beams for the path were installed months ago. Now, the steel platforms that will create the “shelf” for the 12-foot-wide trail are being installed. The current bridge in the background gives a good sense for just how high in the air the path will be.
The path has largely been built on the eastbound approach structures leading up to and down from the main span. In the coming months, the main span portion will be completed, tied into the rest of the path at the two approaches, then paved and striped.
Named after the late Mark Bixby, who helped create the city’s Bicycle Master Plan and founded the Long Beach Bike Festival, the path will offer lanes for bikers, runners, and pedestrians to go to and come back from the Ocean Boulevard-Pico Avenue intersection on the east side of the Port. Along the way, there will be three observation decks built as scenic overlooks for the city, Port of Long Beach, and – on a clear day – Catalina Island. Plans call for the path to end on the west side of the new bridge at State Route 47.
