California lawmakers agree to rename bridge after Long Beach Olympic rower

The Califoia Legislature passed legislation this week to rename the Alamitos Bay Bridge after Joan Van Blom, who was the first woman to win an Olympic Medal for the United States in rowing.

Van Blom died close to a year ago from an aggressive form of brain cancer at 62.

“From the Olympic stage to the classroom, Joan Lind Van Blom was a woman who displayed great courage and a commitment to uplift her country and community,” Sen. Janet Nguyen, who proposed the legislation, said in a statement Friday.

Nguyen, who represents a small part of Long Beach, introduced the legislation at the request of the Long Beach Century Club, a nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of amateur athletes in the city. Van Blom is a member of the club’s Hall of Fame.

Van Blom is a member of the Wilson High School Hall of Fame, the Long Beach State 49er Hall of Fame Century Club, the National Rowing Hall of Fame, and was declared a lifetime member of the Long Beach Rowing Association. A number of other memorials and tributes were aounced in the months after her death.

She eaed medals in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and in the quadruple sculls in 1984 in Los Angeles.

Beyond rowing, Van Blom spent 35 years as a physical education instructor for the Long Beach Unified School District.

Van Blom “is one of the most remarkable athletes to ever live and was even more impressive for her dedication to her Long Beach community,” Councilwoman Suzie Price said in a statement. “Having a bridge in east Long Beach named after her will serve as a daily reminder of the positive legacy she has left behind.”

The bridge in question is currently undergoing study by the Califoia’s Department of Transportation with the goal of replacing or repairing the structure, which has been deemed seismically unsafe.

It was constructed in 1959 over the river chael between Second Street and Loynes Drive, and was widened eight years later.

According to a recent Caltrans report, the bridge still is safe to use, but an inspection revealed cracks in the concrete curb, potholes on the roadway and cracks in some of the piles and piers. Erosion also has deteriorated the banks under the bridge.

Advertisement

An environmental impact study is expected to be released in the fall.

The city is plaing a renaming ceremony for the bridge in the near future.