The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is turning to the community to figure out what to do with the Vincent Thomas Bridge when construction begins on the structure in 2025.
The 60-year-old suspension bridge needs a full deck replacement, and being the only way to get to Terminal Island or the Port of Long Beach, detours would have a huge impact on Wilmington and Long Beach.
Caltrans is gathering the communities input on the three options for the construction project:
- Closing the entire four-lane bridge for nine to 12 months and working day and night until it’s done
- Keeping one lane open during the day, with full closure on nights and weekends for one and a half to two years
- Opening one lane in each direction with night and weekend closures for two to two and a half years
- The latter two choices could also be done without the 55-hour weekend closures, adding about six months to the project
The senior environmental planner for the project, Jason Roach, said Caltrans officials hope to avoid or minimize disruption to port-adjacent communities during the work.
“Because we have this extended construction period that we’re expecting, we’re really concerned about the detour routes and all the traffic that looks like it’s going to be routed through the community of Wilmington,” said Roach.
The Vincent Thomas Bridge is registered as a state historical resource. It is projected to cost $706 million.
Based on 2019 data, roughly 53,000 vehicles use the bridge daily, said Roach.
The prospect of months long closures has truck drivers “anxiously awaiting more details,” Harbor Trucking Association CEO Matt Schrap said.
Shutting down the bridge for a year “would be extremely detrimental, especially to all the surrounding surface streets, because all that traffic has to go somewhere,” Schrap said.
Port of Long Beach spokesperson Lee Peterson said in a statement, “We are coordinating closely with the Port of Los Angeles and Caltrans to ensure this important work is accomplished while minimizing impacts to traffic. Caltrans is assessing impacts and, with the support of the two ports, developing mitigation measures.”
Caltrans has held one virtual and one in-person meeting to hear from the public, and it is accepting comments on the project through May 26.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: IBPost.com
