City awards $51.3 million contract to rebuild Studebaker Boulevard corridor

The Long Beach City Council on June 10 approved awarding a $51,317,687 contract to All American Asphalt for the Studebaker Complete Streets project, a multi‑year corridor renovation that will reconfigure lanes, add medians, enhance bicycle and pedestrian facilities, install fiber and smart traffic signals, and rebuild pavements on a five‑plus‑mile stretch from Second Street to Carson.

Public Works Director Eric Lopez and Transportation project manager Mohsen Habib presented the project as the final major corridor under the city’s Elevate 28 program. The contract will fund preconstruction activities this summer — including contractor submittals and critical‑path scheduling — with a planned construction groundbreaking in the fall and a two‑year maximum construction timeline, subject to weather delays.

Lopez said the project design seeks to calm traffic, improve safety at complex intersections (including the Los Coyotes diagonal), create bike‑hub space near schools and add pedestrian improvements such as ADA curb ramps and crosswalk enhancements. The funding package for the program is a mix of 13 sources; staff noted the bids came in under budget and that leftover funds could be used to extend benefits to adjacent service roads and other local improvements if the council and departments agree.

Council members from several districts praised the long‑running effort to fund and bridge the corridor project and asked staff to consider using any underspend for improvements to service roads that front residential properties. Public comment included support from labor and neighborhood representatives citing local construction jobs and accessibility improvements. The council approved the contract award and related documents.