Get ready to kick those bikes into high gear, Long Beach residents! The city is shaking things up and rolling out a new phase of bikeway improvements, aiming to make the streets more cycle-friendly and get residents' pedals turning on Alamitos Avenue with some snazzy new bike lanes. As reported by the City of Long Beach, All American Asphalt is setting up shop in the downtown stretch starting the week of December 4th, anticipating to wrap things up quicker than you can say "tour de asphalt," aiming for an early January 2024 finish line.

Alamitos Avenue will be getting a facelift from East Ocean Boulevard to East 7th Street. Slurry sealing the street to extend its life, the city is not just aiming for a touchup but also for a safety boost with painted buffered bike lanes, newfangled thermoplastic traffic striping, and continental crosswalks that are sure to be the crosswalk envy of the town. Keeping cars and cyclists in their lanes, this upgrade is part of a larger city-wide project to make Long Beach a pedaler's paradise.

As part of All American Asphalt's work, which will run from the crack of dawn at 7 a.m. to the afternoon wind down at 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, keeping parking available is a priority. Posted around the construction zone, "No Parking" signs will be visible – but fret not, they're giving a three-day heads up.

With the occasional intersection closures to pull off this project, the city is nudging everyone to maybe take the scenic route instead of the usual one during work hours. While the hustle to open streets back up will be real, the contractor is on double duty, encouraging residents to kindly keep their water runoff in check on their own turf to help construction not miss a beat.

Citizens of Long Beach, brace yourselves for a bit of inconvenience, but think of the bright side: a spiffy, safer, and more seamless street is coming your way. If questions are burning a hole in your pocket or if you just want the 411 direct from the source, reach out to Joy Contreras, the city's trusty Public Works Community Relations Officer, as suggested by the city's press release.