Bridge over 405 Freeway in Long Beach to reopen Saturday

The connector bridge between the northbound 405 Freeway and 7th Street in Long Beach is scheduled to reopen Saturday morning.

The bridge was closed for a year while it was rebuilt to accommodate new carpool lanes on the 405.

The bridge on the east side of Long Beach has been part of the Orange County Transportation Authority's West County Connector project intended to create a seamless link between carpool lanes and ease rush-hour bottlenecks on the 405, 22 and 605 freeways.

The two-lane 7th Street bridge over the 405 Freeway handles about 30,000 cars daily. Many of them head to Cal State Long Beach, the Veterans Affairs medical center in eastern Long Beach or nearby shopping areas and residential neighborhoods.

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-- From a Times staff writer