Long Beach plans a $73 million project to reshape Shoreline Drive and add park space around César Chávez Park, with construction scheduled to begin in early 2027. The redesign is intended to improve connections through the park. Drivers on Shoreline Drive routinely reach around 60 miles per hour, according to Long Beach Post News.
The proposal would shift Shoreline Drive's northbound lanes alongside the existing southbound lanes next to the Los Angeles River, Long Beach Post reported. The new layout is intended to let people move between the park’s sections without crossing the northbound lanes.
The $73 million project has several funding sources. A Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority staff report cited by the Post identifies a $35 million Metro contribution and an $8 million balance from Metro Measure R funds, local Measure A sales-tax revenue and gas-tax revenue. The Biden administration separately awarded Long Beach a $30 million federal Reconnecting Communities grant, the outlet reported. The city is slated to repay $11.5 million of the Metro contribution over 10 years, starting in fiscal year 2033.
A Scaled-Back Version of a Much Bigger Idea
The road realignment grew out of a concept developed in the early 2000s to connect Drake Park and Chávez Park, according to the Post. Earlier proposals for the corridor were broader, including replacing Shoemaker Bridge, which carries cars over the Los Angeles River from the southbound 710 Freeway. The bridge replacement was previously estimated at nearly $900 million, and Metro had approved $9.3 million toward its design as part of a wider Long Beach-to-East LA corridor plan.
The larger corridor plans lost momentum after federal officials concluded in 2022 that widening the 710 Freeway would do more harm than good to nearby communities, according to the Post's earlier reporting. The current $73 million project leaves out the bridge replacement and concentrates on Shoreline Drive and park space.
How the connection plan has evolved
A Long Beach Public Works workshop presentation says the Drake-Chávez Vision Plan was updated in 2019 to reflect adjacent initiatives and completed projects. Separately, LA Metro describes its LA River Path project as an effort to close an active-transportation gap connecting the Valley, Downtown LA and Long Beach.
Project estimates and acreage descriptions have varied. A Public Works Department estimate put the Shoreline Drive portion at about $60 million, while earlier accounts described 5.5 or 5.6 acres as being reclaimed. Those figures differ from the $73 million project total and the 22-acre park concept described in the Post's reporting.
What the New Park Will Look Like
The broader plan envisions 22 acres of continuous green space from Drake Park south to Chávez Park. It also calls for a 4.5-acre park linking the two parks and a pedestrian and bike path connecting all three park areas to the waterfront along Shoreline Drive south of Ocean Boulevard, according to the Post's account of the City Council's October approval.
Plans for the redesigned space include pickleball and basketball courts, children’s play areas and skateable landscape features. The site includes an old MTA lot that the city currently uses for storage. The city’s Drake-Chávez Connection project description also cites roughly 4.5 acres of new parkland linking the parks; the relationship between that figure and the 22-acre total is not clear from the city materials cited in the Post’s reporting.
A citywide goal for park access
The project also sits within Long Beach’s broader effort to plan for park access. The city is updating its Open Space and Recreation Element to address the needs of the current population. A park within a 10-minute walk, or half a mile, of every resident’s home is described as a starting point for a possible new standard, according to the City of Long Beach.
Olympics Timeline Shapes Construction Sequence
The work is scheduled in stages around the 2028 Olympics. Construction on the Shoreline Drive segment south of Ocean Boulevard is expected to start in early 2027 and finish before the Games. The road’s relocation out of Chávez Park is planned for after the Olympics, followed by construction of a new park just north of Seventh Street. The city aims to complete that park by 2030, according to the Post.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson called the plan a landmark project and said it would completely transform how people enter downtown, Long Beach Post News reported. Ryan Wolfe, president of the Wilmore City Community Association, said the city has often developed walkable communities only partially while prioritizing fast car movement. He added that neighbors have sought better park access for decades and that the city now appears to be choosing a direction.
