The bad news: the Seal Beach Boulevard Bridge expansion project is expected to end in August 2014, according to Joel Zlotnik, a spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority.
The good news: Zlotnik said phase one of the project should be completed by mid-September.
In related news, the bridge will be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Friday, Aug. 2.
“It should be done … we’re looking at mid-September,” he said.
When the construction project began, the Orange County Transportation Authority and Caltrans tore down half the bridge passing over the 405 Freeway, leaving one lane in each direction for traffic and an emergency lane between them.
Because of the construction, traffic has sometimes slowed to a crawl at the Seal Beach Boulevard Bridge, which has become a bottleneck for automobiles.
When phase two of the expansion project begins, motorists will have two lanes available traveling in each direction which Zlotnik said should “be some relief for residents who’ve been putting up with one lane in each direction.
There will be no emergency lane this time around, as one should be sufficient.
Zlotnik said the second phase of the bridge expansion will probably be completed in August of next year.
He also said there are no fixed hours for when the bridge is closed to traffic. However, the bridge will be closed every night this week from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., through Friday, Aug. 2.
“We typically try to schedule construction overnight to minimize the impact to the community,” Zlotnik said.
He said OCTA recommends motorists use Valley View Street as a detour route.
He said OCTA appreciates everyone’s patience during the construction project.
Zlotnik said that for more information, the public should visit OCTA.net/westcounty. He advised the public to sign up to get construction alerts and closure announcements.
