An Orange County Transportation Authority representative on Saturday, Feb. 5, said work on the 7th Street connector’s project had already started. Christina Byrne, OCTA’s West Connectors Project outreach manager, said reconstruction has already started at Valley View Boulevard.
About 75 Seal Beach residents heard the news at a neighborhood meeting held at Edison Park to discuss the projects that will be under construction at the22/405/605 freeways and the Studebaker/7th Street intersections.
The project is expected to take a about year.
Byrne outlined the effects the projects will have on the 300,000 commuters and local residents using these roadways.
Byrne said the Valley View Street bridge construction will start in late February. Work will be done from 10 p.m.-5 a.m. and only a part of the 22/405 freeway will be closed after midnight.
She said The 7th Street bridge will be reconstructed starting in March 2011.
This bridge will be closed for approximately one year.
She said that, unlike the Valley View Street and Seal Beach Boulevard bridges, this structure has to be completely taken down.
There will not be a temporary bridge during this construction.
The eastbound 22 Freeway to the 405 will also be closed. A detour map is available at www.octa.net/pdf/wcc_detours.pdf.
Construction will start on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
There will be a sound wall about 14 to 16 feet high located from just east of Studebaker Road up to the 605 freeway.
One small commercial road from Bixby Property at Seal Beach Boulevard will also be closed.
As for the the College Park Drive and Studebaker/7th Street interchange, Byrne said there will not be a traffic signal.
For more information, contact Byrne at www.octa.net/westcounty or (714) 560-5717.
