The Long Beach Airport’s terminal roadways will be improved early next year, with help from a $10.6 million federal grant.
The city’s airport was one of four in California selected to receive funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Congress passed last year.
“The Long Beach Airport is a vital part of our community and economy,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a press release earlier this year. “This announced funding is a huge investment in continuing to improve our airport infrastructure.”
The Long Beach City Council this week authorized the airport to accept the grant — which will fund one of nine projects housed within the airport’s Terminal Roadway Improvement Program.
The roadway improvements include a realignment of Donald Douglas Drive, otherwise known as the terminal loop. Those upgrades will facilitate easier passenger flow through the airport, a July news release said, and will provide much-needed Americans with Disabilities Act enhancements.
“In addition to reconstruction work needed to prolong the life of the roadway, the terminal loop does not currently reflect the needs of a modern airport with a busy mix of taxis, rideshare operators, shuttles, private vehicles and pedestrians,” the release said. “The project will supplement existing ADA features such as curb cuts, ramps, signage and handrails at drop off and pick up areas.”
Audible warning detection systems will be installed at pedestrian crossings, and the airport will develop a clear ADA path of travel to public transport and parking facilities.
The total estimated project cost, according to a Tuesday, Sept. 13, city staff report, is a little more than $11 million. The federal grant will cover the vast majority — $10.6 million — of those costs, though the FAA requires the airport to share 5% of the project’s expenses as a grant condition.
The city’s share totals around $557,523, depending on final construction costs, the staff report said.
The Federal Aviation Administration still has to formally approve the city’s grant, according to Long Beach Airport’s capital projects coordinator, Vanessa Estrada. Approval is expected before the end of the year, she said.
Construction is slated to begin in early 2023, though city officials have yet to provide updates on the project’s anticipated completion date.
Source: Orange County Register
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