Construction on the Vincent Thomas Bridge near the Port of Los Angeles is slated to begin next month, but the project will not include a 26-foot bridge hoist that port officials were hoping for.
Port Executive Director Gene Seroka proposed raising the bridge earlier this year amid existing plans from the California Department of Transportation to re-deck the emerald green overpass connecting San Pedro to Terminal Island and Long Beach.
Raising the bridge would allow larger, more efficient ships to travel underneath carrying cargo. About 40% of the port’s cargo capacity is beyond the bridge, which sits at 185 feet high.
The California State Transportation Agency, the cabinet-level agency that oversees Caltrans, nixed the suggestion last month, saying the deck replacement had to begin as soon as possible.
“Vincent Thomas Bridge is scheduled for a much-needed re-decking project … beginning in January of 2026 and ending in advance of the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement.
The agency “welcomes continued discussions to a path forward while we work to make sure the bridge is structurally sound and safe for the motoring public.”
Plans to fix up the bridge are projected to cost more than $700 million and will require the bridge to be closed to the public for 16 months. The port’s proposal to raise the bridge would have added $1.5 billion in costs and forced the bridge to close for more than two years.
The 60-year-old bridge is a local symbol to surrounding communities and supports tourism across the harbor area. It also provides a key artery for cargo trucks traveling to and from the port.
Preliminary detour routes for the bridge’s closure would send commuters, tourists and cargo through Harry Bridges Boulevard in Wilmington and on the 110 and 405 freeways.
The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce voted over the summer in support of a study on the effects of raising the bridge. Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker, who represents port-adjacent communities including Wilmington, Harbor City and San Pedro, said he supported raising the bridge as long as it was safe and took locals’ needs into account.
Seroka has not given up on a solution to help accommodate the next generation of cargo ships at the Port of Los Angeles.
“All parties recognize the benefits of additional clearance to jobs and the long-term economic vitality of both the Port of Los Angeles and California,” Seroka said in a statement.
“While we were hopeful that we would be able to include a bridge raising component into Caltrans’ pending critical maintenance project, we’re encouraged by the strong support of the administration to quickly explore additional projects,” he said.
Future projects might include raising the bridge after the deck replacement is complete, or building a new bridge altogether, Seroka said.
The port director had originally suggested raising the bridge by putting sleeve lifts and platforms on the bridge’s legs. The Bayonne Bridge connecting Staten Island, N.Y., and Bayonne, N.J., was raised in a similar manner in 2019.
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