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WEEKEND CLOSURES ON THE 710

Road repairs to close 710 from just south of Firestone Boulevard to the Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway

Keep track of closure schedule

Plan Ahead

FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES will occur twice during each weekend:

Friday at 11:45 p.m. until Saturday at 6 a.m.
Sunday at 11 p.m. until Monday at 5 a.m.

August 20-23
August 27-30
September 10-13
September 17-20
September 24-27
October 1-4
October 8-11

No construction will occur during the Labor Day Weekend of September 3-6.

The extended weekend closures begin on Friday night (midnight) with a six-hour (12:01-6 a.m) FULL FREEWAY CLOSURE to install moveable median barriers. When the freeway re-opens to traffic on Saturday at 6 a.m., the median barriers will guide all motorists to shift to the northbound side of the freeway so that the construction crew can work safely on the southbound side of I-710 throughout the weekend using a reduced number of available freeway lanes. Then, on Sunday at 11 p.m., there is another FULL FREEWAY CLOSURE to remove the temporary moveable median barrier in time for the Monday morning commute.

CLOSED On-ramps to northbound I-710:
Eastbound & westbound on-ramps to Rosecrans Avenue and Imperial Highway

CLOSED On-ramps to southbound I-710:
Eastbound & westbound on-ramps from Florence Avenue, Firestone Boulevard and Imperial Hwy

CLOSED Freeway Connectors: Eastbound and westbound I-105 to northbound I-710

RESTRICTIONS: Speed reduced to 45mph. No oversized loads permitted due to narrow lanes.
DELAYS AND DETOURS: Motorists can expect delays and are advised to use alternate routes and marked street detours. Trucks are advised to use Garfield Avenue.
PROJECT DETAILS: The work is part of the I-710 Long Life Pavement Rehabilitation Project to rehabilitate aging pavement from I-405 to I-5 and provide the roadway with several decades of service life, improved pavement performance and a smoother ride for the traveling public.

Click here for most recent info from CalTrans.

VETERAN OF THE YEAR

I was recently fortunate to honor Blas Villalobos as the 54th Assembly District Veteran of the Year at a ceremony in Sacramento.

Blas Villalobos served in the United States Marine Corps from October 1999-October 2003.

He was deployed to Iraq during the invasion in March 2003, and was a Squad Leader. Honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps after four years of active duty service. Duties as a small unit squad leader included coordinating combat missions with other units in Iraq, providing training in small weapons tactics and maneuvers to over 40 Marines, basic standardized testing, and physical fitness tests.

Blas currently works as a Case Manager with U.S. VETS – Long Beach, a nonprofit organization that provides housing, case management, and employment assistance to homeless and “at-risk” veterans.  Blas specifically works with OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD.  He is a great role model for the guys, shares his own stories, and lets them know it is possible to achieve many of the goals they have for themselves.  But addressing the wounds from war has to be the first priority.

Blas also does volunteer service at Vets4Vets as their Veterans Community Coordinator, and at Long Beach City College as a Volunteer Veterans Representative assisting veterans/dependents in obtaining government educational services such as Montgomery G.I Bill benefits, veteran’s counseling, and financial aid.

Blas graduated from the CSULB in 2009 with a B.A. in psychology and is currently a graduate student at the School of Social Work at the University Of Southern California with a Mental Health concentration and a Military Social Work sub-concentration.

Buono's Chosen as 2010 Small Business of the Year

Presenting the 2010 Small Business of the Year Award for the 54th District is Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal (center) with recipients Frank Buono (left) and Andrew Buono (right) of Buono's Authentic Pizzeria.

(June 2010) Buono's Authentic Pizzeria, a family owned business with restaurants in Long Beach and San Pedro, was recently recognized as the 2010 Small Business of the Year in the 54th District. The award was presented by Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal during California Small Business Day in Sacramento amidst an audience of legislators, key community leaders, and other statewide honorees. During the festivities, brothers Frank and Andrew Buono met with government officials and participated in small business workshops and discussions.

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