Long Beach is set to receive $6.7 million for new sidewalks and pedestrian improvements in the downtown area as part of more than $540 million in statewide transportation and infrastructure investments that Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday, May 20.
The funding, approved by the California Transportation Commission during Infrastructure Week, is intended to improve safety, accessibility and connectivity for pedestrians in downtown Long Beach.
The broader package, state officials said, will support highway repairs, bridge upgrades, school safety improvements and transit projects across California.
“California is undertaking one of the largest transportation modernization efforts in the nation – repairing aging roads and bridges, building world-class transit and freight, expanding public transit, and leading the technological future,” Newsom said in a statement. “Investments like these drive our economic growth and create thousands of good-paying jobs.”
The statewide funding package, the governor’s office said, includes support from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Senate Bill 1 transportation revenues and other state and federal transportation programs.
The investments, state officials said, are expected to improve mobility, modernize aging infrastructure and create nearly 6,000 jobs statewide.
Among the other projects highlighted were $117.8 million in Bay Bridge safety upgrades, $70 million for weather-related highway repairs statewide, and $53 million for a new train control system for Bay Area Rapid Transit, the San Francisco Bay Area’s rail system, ahead of the World Cup.