New Port Of Long Beach Bridge To Be Among Nation's Tallest
LONG BEACH (CBSLA/AP) — After extensive preparatory work, construction crews are pouring the foundation of a bridge that will replace an aging span at the Port of Long Beach.
The new Gerald Desmond Bridge will help connect the seaports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, which together handle 40 percent of the nation's import trade.
On Wednesday, port officials celebrated the pouring of concrete that will anchor the bridge in the ground, next to the existing span.
"Today we began major construction on one of the most important public projects to happen in Long Beach for a generation," Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said in a written statement. "The Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement will not only transform our city's skyline with a new and beautiful modern structure, but will also vastly improve our cargo operations by enabling the largest ships in the world to access our port's berths."
The new pilings will be the first visible progress on the $1.3 billion bridge.
Since a groundbreaking in 2013, construction crews have focused on site preparation, including the removal of old oil wells.
The project was supposed to be completed by 2016, but delays pushed the ribbon-cutting to as late as the middle of 2018. The mayor said it would generate 3,000 jobs annually for the four years it would take to build the bridge and demolish the old one.
The bridge will be among the tallest in the country and visible from many miles away.
The site will feature a lighting design and two 515-foot towers with a "contemporary cable-stayed design."
Bicyclists will be happy to know the bridge will have protected bike lanes.
Related Story: Plans For $1B Long Beach Bridge To Be Unveiled Monday
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