Council hears update: North Shore critical infrastructure project largely complete on bulkhead, pump station work to finish this spring

The Long Beach City Council received an update on April 1 on the North Shore Critical Infrastructure Protection Project, a multi-year effort to protect utilities and homes along Reynolds Channel. Consultant Greg Buckley of D&B Engineers and Architects said the bulkhead sheeting is about 90% complete and the stormwater pump station structure and pumps are nearing final work.

The update matters because the project is designed to protect the North Park community and critical utility infrastructure from coastal flooding. The council heard that the pump station being installed is sized to process 33,000,000 gallons per day and that the project also includes sanitary sewer, water main and roadway work along Water Street and Riverside Boulevard.

Greg Buckley, the project's consultant, summarized recent progress: “We’ve got about 2,130 linear feet in, about 90%,” and showed photographs of recently completed sheeting and timber cap installation. He said crews have installed timber caps and are preparing to add bulkhead railing where work is finished.

Buckley identified the remaining pinch points: the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) crossing, a National Grid utility crossing and the Long Beach Boulevard bridge area. He said contractors conducted test pits on the LIRR property to verify conduit locations after utility records proved incomplete; those test pits “came back pretty good,” with possibly “one shift in one pile” required. Buckley said the railroad outage needed to complete that crossing will govern the schedule for the last bulkhead work and estimated that the LIRR portion could be scheduled for fall 2025.

On the pump station, Buckley said internal piping and pump installations have progressed and that the structure is approximately 90% complete. He described the pump discharge: the invert is planned to exit at minus 2.85 (underwater) through a 48-inch pipe and that an inline Tideflex valve will be included to minimize the outfall length.

Council members raised questions about clogging and debris. Buckley said the stormwater flow from Water Street already passes through a hydrodynamic separator located southeast of the pump station, which should remove the majority of debris before water reaches the pumps. He added that some water-main, stormwater and sanitary-sewer segments east of Riverside are paused while contractors complete pump station and National Grid work; he did not expect those temporary pauses to delay the overall schedule.

Buckley said the generator and certain items are dependent on contractor scheduling and PSEG coordination; those outstanding items remain in the contractor’s court. He estimated the pump station structure would be wrapped up in spring 2025 and that roadway reconstruction would follow once railroad bulkhead work is complete — currently indicated as winter 2026, but contingent on the railroad timeline.

Council members asked for continued updates if pauses extend; staff and consultants said they would provide schedule updates as they become available. The presentation was followed by a council question-and-answer period.