Construction of the Vincent Thomas Bridge near the Port of Los Angeles is scheduled to begin next month, but the project will not include a 26-foot bridge. bridge lift what port officials were hoping for.
Port Executive Director Gene Seroka proposed raising the bridge earlier this year amid existing California Department of Transportation plans. overdeck an emerald green overpass connecting San Pedro to Terminal Island and Long Beach.
Raising the bridge will allow larger, more efficient ships to pass under it with cargo. About 40% of the port's cargo capacity lies outside the bridge, which is 185 feet high.
The California Transportation Agency, the cabinet-level agency that oversees Caltrans, rejected the proposal last month, saying deck replacement needed to begin as soon as possible.
“Vincent Thomas Bridge is scheduled for a much-needed deck replacement project … that will begin in January 2026 and will be completed prior to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement.
The agency “welcomes continued discussions about the way forward as we work to ensure the bridge is structurally sound and safe for motorists.”
Plans to repair the bridge are projected to cost more than $700 million and require the bridge to be closed to the public for 16 months. The port's proposal to raise the bridge would have resulted in $1.5 billion in additional costs and forced the bridge to close for more than two years.
The 60-year-old bridge is a local icon for surrounding communities and supports tourism. across the harbor region. It is also a key artery for trucks traveling to and from the port.
Preliminary detour routes The bridge closure will send passengers, tourists and cargo across Harry Bridges Boulevard in Wilmington and onto the 110 and 405 freeways.
Over the summer, the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce voted to support a study on the effects of raising the bridge. Los Angeles City Council Member Tim Macosker, representing settlements adjacent to the port including Wilmington, Harbor City and San Pedro, said it supports building the bridge as long as it is safe and takes into account the needs of local residents.
Seroka has not given up on the move to bring the next generation of cargo ships to the Port of Los Angeles.
“All parties recognize the benefits of additional job permits and the long-term economic viability of both Port of Los Angeles and California,” Seroka said in a statement.
“While we had hoped that we would be able to include a bridge-raising component in Caltrans's pending maintenance project, we are encouraged by the administration's strong support to quickly explore additional projects,” he said.
Future projects could include raising the bridge once the deck replacement is completed, or building a new bridge altogether, Seroka said.
Initially, the port director proposed raising the bridge by installing hose lifts and platforms on the bridge supports. The Bayonne Bridge, connecting Staten Island, New York, and Bayonne, New Jersey, was raised in a similar manner in 2019.
