11:30am | Earlier this week, the state California Transportation Commission approved funding and building plans for the $950 million Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement project. Today, the Port of Long Beach is soliciting design firms to apply for the five-year job. Construction is expected to begin in 2012.
The approval is the final act of governmental clearance needed to begin the project.
“All the pieces have been locked in,” said Port of Long Beach spokesperson John Pope today.
Though the Port is seeking design firms to apply for the work, the renderings depicted here will likely be very faithful to the actual project.
“I would say it’s subject to some modifications,” said Pope. “But the type of bridge that we want is that type.”
The new structure will replace an aging and deteriorating bridge that had hanging nets installed years ago to catch falling concrete debris. The Gerald Desmond Bridge handles massive truck traffic coming to and from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles – the Port estimates about 15% of the nation’s containerized goods – and the new design will widen the lanes and add an emergency lane. The bridge will also be raised to be accessible to modern day supertankers entering the harbor, and will include a bike lane as well.
“The Transportation Commission’s approval is a major milestone for this project,” said Nick Sramek, President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners. “It allows us to embark upon one of the biggest construction projects in the state and to replace an obsolete bridge with a new one built to handle the traffic and cargo needs of the region.”
Funding will come from $500 million in state highway and transportation bond funds. Federal funding could contribute as much as $300 million. The Port of Long Beach has pledged $114 million. The project is expected to create some 4,000 jobs per year over its five-year span.