3:45pm | The Port of Long Beach plans to move forward with a renovation for the aging bridge that will improve traffic flow and create emergency lanes, among other benefits. An Environmental Impact Review will likely be submitted within the next week to allow for public comment.
The project is expected to cost $1.1 billion and provide about 4,000 jobs for five years of construction. It would create an emergency lane to improve traffic flow and increased clearance height would allow access for the new generation of super-sized cargo ships.
The renovation would also be a structural improvement. The current bridge has been deteriorating for years and is notorious for the netting that hangs underneath, known as a “diaper” because it catches pieces of concrete that crumble from the bridge as traffic passes overhead.
Port executive director Richard Steinke addressed the plans in his annual State of the Port address last week.
“More than 40 years old, this obsolete bridge was designed at a time when no one could have imagined the growth in world trade, much less the major role that the Port of Long Beach plays in that international exchange of goods,” Steinke said. “It must be replaced.”
Below are images of the proposed design, provided by the Port of Long Beach.
Below are photos of the current bridge, also provided by the Port of Long Beach.
