LONG BEACH, CA-A billion-dollar bridge that will provide easier commuter and trucking access to the Port of Long Beach has started construction. The project started with the final demolition of the existing Gerald Desmond Bridge earlier this morning.
The new bridge has not been named, port spokesman John Pope tells GlobeSt.com. It is anticipated to be completed in 2016. The six-lane bridge will have a taller clearance of 205 feet and have cable towers reaching 515 feet, which will allow bigger ships to access the inner harbor berths. The new bridge is immediately adjacent and to the North of the existing four-lane span that's being demolished.
The new bridge will be built at a time when bigger cargo ships are crossing the world's oceans and even bigger vessels are under construction. Long Beach continues to see steady growth in cargo volumes, as shipping lines sign agreements to expand operations. A few months ago, Long Beach received a ship capable of carrying 14,000 container units, allegedly the largest container vessel to visit a North American port.
When the Gerald Desmond Bridge opened in 1968, cargo ships were about one-sixth the size of what enters the harbor today. The old bridge height of 155 feet restricted the new, larger ships from reaching piers within the Port of Long Beach's inner channels. By raising the clearance over the port's inner harbor channel an additional 50 feet, the Port of Long Beach will have the tallest span height for a cable-stayed bridge in the US.
The approximately 8,000-foot-long bridge will be built in phases over the next three years. Photos and video showing the progress will be routinely posted on the new bridge website. The site will also have construction updates, traffic information and other details about the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project, the working title for the span's construction.
The bridge construction is part of an overall capital improvements program that will modernize the port and enable it to compete with rivals.
As previously reported by GlobeSt.com, the Port of Long Beach anticipates record revenue in its coming fiscal year that starts in the fall.
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