Caltrans has postponed open house meetings that were initially scheduled for early February to discuss updates on the upcoming full closure of the Vincent Thomas Bridge.<\/p>\n
The California Department of Transportation announced the postponement on its website and on social media, with a spokesperson adding later that the meetings will be rescheduled for late February or early March.<\/p>\n
Caltrans had been scheduled to discuss plans for the start of construction during a virtual meeting on Monday, Feb. 2, and in-person on Feb. 9 in San Pedro.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community open houses were postponed while Caltrans and the general contractor for the project finalize the sequence and timing of preliminary construction activities,\u201d Caltrans spokesperson Nathan Bass said in an email. \u201cCaltrans aims to reschedule those meetings in late February and early March. The 16-month full closure of the bridge is still scheduled to begin in November of this year, and the bridge is expected to reopen to traffic prior to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Project information and a current timeline for construction<\/a> can also be found on the website.<\/p>\n The project is needed to replace the road deck on the four-lane bridge.<\/p>\n Deemed a critical infrastructure project, the work will require partial and full closures of the bridge over the next two years.<\/p>\n \u201cNow entering its construction phase, the Vincent Thomas Bridge Deck Replacement Project remains on schedule,\u201d Bass said. \u201cCaltrans public Construction on the project will occur in three stages, with a preliminary stage preceding the deck replacement itself.<\/p>\n \u201cActivities included in the preliminary construction stage (are) the temporary installation of staircases and an under-deck work platform and protective shield,\u201d Bass added, \u201cincreasing worker access to the bridge, as well as the resurfacing of portions of local roads designated in the project\u2019s detour route.\u201d<\/p>\n The partial closures have already begun. But once construction begins in earnest, the heavily traveled, mile-long bridge spans across the Port of Los Angeles, from San Pedro to Terminal Island, will have to be fully closed for some 16 months. That closure us currently scheduled to begin in the fall-winter.<\/p>\n Detours have been identified by Caltrans but those will also carry their own potential traffic issues, which are expected to impact local communities.<\/p>\n The start of the full closure was moved back recently from this summer. But partial, periodic overnight closures are already ongoing now as preparations get underway for the $700 million job that will replace the aging and damaged roadway on the iconic green bridge, which opened in 1963<\/a> and travels over the water.<\/p>\n