With the full 16-month closure of the Vincent Thomas Bridge fast approaching, three community open house events are scheduled in October to provide information and answer questions about the project.<\/p>\n
The heavily traveled, four-lane bridge that arches over the Port of Los Angeles\u2019 Main Channel, heading west to east between Terminal Island and San Pedro, is also a key connector for San Pedro-to-Long Beach commuter traffic. But it will be closed for 16 months beginning Nov. 1 so Caltrans can replace the roadway.<\/p>\n
While the road, or bridge \u201cdeck,\u201d has been frequently repaired throughout the years since 1963, that is no longer a sufficient fix, state transportation authorities have said. A complete replacement of the deck is now needed.<\/p>\n
Two of the community meeting events, on Oct. 1 and 8, will be in-person gatherings and the third \u2014 on Oct. 16 \u2014 will be live-streamed and online only.<\/p>\n
The details for those meetings are:<\/p>\n
6-8 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Wilmington Recreation Center, 325 N. Neptune Ave The meetings will highlight the project\u2019s status and construction schedule.<\/p>\n Attendees will receive a presentation from Caltrans personnel detailing the construction schedule, detour routes and traffic management plan, as well as Caltrans\u2019 ongoing efforts to address anticipated construction impacts.<\/p>\n A question-and-answer period will be included in each event and recordings of the meetings will be shared online subsequently.<\/p>\n The project, expected to cost $750 million, will usher in yet more focus on the aging bridge after the roadway is completed.<\/p>\n The Port Los Angeles and the city have teamed up with the California Department of Transportation to research the likely need to replace the bridge altogether.<\/p>\n While the road repairs are needed now, the much-larger problem looming is expected to require an entirely new bridge<\/a> to be built.<\/p>\n The major driver is that commercial ships are growing in size and the vertical clearance under the Vincent Thomas Bridge is no longer enough to accommodate the newer vessels.<\/p>\n Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka suggested the entire process \u2014 with the Vincent Thomas remaining open and functioning during construction of a new bridge that would be built parallel to it \u2014 could be completed perhaps 10 years from now.<\/p>\n But the cost will be challenging<\/a> and the process currently is still in its research phase, with port, city and state officials gathering data from consultants and designers.<\/p>\n The Port of Long Beach, facing a similar dilemma, got an earlier jump on replacing its aging Gerald Desmond Bridge with the Long Beach International Bridge<\/a> that opened in 2020.<\/p>\n The Long Beach bridge wound up costing $1.46 billion. But it was expected to cost $950 million when first approved in 2010.<\/p>\n
\n6-8 p.m. Oct, 8 at Peck Park Community Center, 560 N. Western Ave., in San Pedro.
\n6-8 p.m. Oct. 14, virtual meeting only. To join online, go to zoom.us\/j\/89095512946<\/a>, or call 669-900-6833 or 833-548-0282. The webinar ID is 890 9551 2946.<\/p>\n