#LetsBuildABridge, Were you able to join us on a tour of the construction site in the years leading up to completion? Although the Gerald Desmond Bridge was an icon of Long Beach since it was built in 1960, it was no longer able to sustain the heavy traffic. The bridge is also a critical access route for commuters between the Port of Long Beach, downtown Long Beach and surrounding communities. The bridge is named after Gerald Desmond, a prominent civic leader and a former city attorney for the City of Long Beach, and replaces an earlier bridge completed in 1968 with the same namesake. By 1908, a bascule drawbridge replaced it. This design for the Gerald Desmond Bridge created a unique opportunity to create a monumental gateway that is sensitive to the contextual surroundings and the Green Port of Long Beach’s future legacy. It has a 527-foot-long (161 m) suspended main span and a 155-foot (47 m) vertical clearance spanning the Cerritos Channel. [11], Also, since the 1968 bridge roadway lacks emergency/breakdown lanes, multiple lanes would be shut down in the event of an accident, snarling traffic. The Gerald Desmond Bridge is the second-tallest cable-stayed bridge in the U.S. and the first such bridge for vehicles in California. - The Gerald Desmond Bridge is an iconic landmark in the city of Long Beach. HNTB originally was hired by the Port of Long Beach to study and develop alternatives leading to the first vehicular cable-stayed bridge in California. The Gerald Desmond Bridge is a major commuting route for the region and a major trade corridor, carrying 15-percent of all containerized cargo imported to the United States. The 1968 arch bridge had a featured role in the film Head, featuring rock group The Monkees, released in 1968. [14] Port officials estimated that 10% of all waterborne cargo in the United States passed over the Desmond Bridge (either going to or coming from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles) in 2004,[8] raising the estimate to 15% by 2010. This method combines project design and construction into one contract, as opposed to the standard process done in three stages: design, bid, build. The new bridge is 205 feet above the channel, and able to accommodate larger ships—50 feet higher than the Gerald Desmond Bridge. Check out our photo library at: https://bit.ly/3r8EdH6 and our video library at: https://bit.ly/391uZpK. [8] By 2010, the 155-foot (47 m) vertical clearance of the 1968 bridge was one of the lowest for a commercial seaport, especially at the Port of Long Beach, which remains one of the busiest container ports in the United States. Elysian Freeway Bridge, based on the 1968 arch bridge, is also featured in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V. It carries the Elysian Fields Freeway in-game. City News Service contributed to this report. Biden was joined by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero and other officials. By some estimates, truck traffic across the bridge tripled in the years following the closure of the Long Beach NSY. A combined virtual and live grand opening was held to highlight the completion of the Gerald Desmond Bridge. Gerald Desmond Bridge Posted May 21, 2020, by D Chesterman (chestermand [at] yahoo [dot] com) First this is an outstanding site I use often so no disrespect but I believe the span data for this bridge is actually the length of the entire truss/arch. The bridge was named after Gerald Desmond, a prominent civic leader and a former city attorney for the City of Long Beach. Stay up-to-date on the Gerald Desmond Bridge with views from this construction camera and interactive archive calendar. Prior to 1944, the only road access to Terminal Island was via Badger Avenue (later Henry Ford Avenue, after an assembly plant that was built on the island) over the Henry Ford Bridge. Engineer’s Est. [1] An estimated seven people died after driving off the pontoon bridge. The old Gerald Desmond Bridge, which was completed in 1968, was 1.5 miles long with two lanes in each direction. The first scene of the film features the actual dedication ceremony for the bridge, which is interrupted by the Monkees running into the middle of the ceremony and Micky Dolenz jumping off the bridge. The bridge connects Terminal Island – the heart of the port complex – with the … The Gerald Desmond Bridge became a barrier for large ships entering the Inner Harbor at Long Beach, with its restrictive 155-foot (47 m) vertical clearance. According to U.S. census data, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles handled 32% of U.S. container imports in 2013, down from 39% in 2002. The bridge separates the inner harbor (north of the bridge) of the Port of Long Beach from the middle harbor. After several years of studies, a cable-stayed bridge with 205 feet (62 m) of vertical clearance to be built north of the existing bridge was identified as the preferred alternative in the final environmental impact report (2010 FEIR). PO Box 13193 Oakland, CA 94661 • (510) 255-1523 • www.cpmlogistics.net • information@cpmlogistics.net License #: 999551 The Gerald Desmond Bridge is a vital part of U.S. trade infrastructure — 15 percent of the nation's waterborne cargo is trucked over it annually — and a critical access route for commuters between the Port of Long Beach and surrounding communities. Through our free mobile app you can get up-to-the-minute road conditions, photos, videos, access to live cameras, and traffic alerts available as push notifications and in English and Spanish audio. [11], In March 2012, the insufficient vertical clearance of the bridge prevented passage of the 12,562 TEU MSC Fabiola, the largest container ship ever to enter the Port of Long Beach. This new bridge is around 610m in length, with a main span of around 305m and features two towers that are each 157m-high, making it the second-tallest cable-stayed bridge in the US and the first such bridge for vehicles in California. Pre-Bid Mtg Date: 02/22/2021 – 4:00 PM. GERALD DESMOND BRIDGE DEMOLITION. The new build dwarves its predecessor and the construction that's in full swing is a marvel as the center section dangles in between the north and south roadways that will connect it. The bridge is named after Gerald Desmond, a prominent civic leader and a former city attorney for the City of Long Beach. [12] Other deficiencies cited include the steep approach grades (5.5 percent on the west side and 6 percent on the east side)[13], Competition in the marine shipping industry meant shipping companies were interested in boosting operating efficiency, mainly by building ever-larger container ships. Post ID: 79959 Entered: 01/19/2021 Updated: 03/25/2021 s-Los Angeles Project Information. For all of the recent Bridge Project news and events. Desmond died in office at age 48 of kidney cancer. Min: $ 34700000. The Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project is a “design-build” project. The first bridge linking the eastern end of Terminal Island and Long Beach was an unnamed "temporary" pontoon bridge constructed during World War II to accommodate traffic resulting from the expansion of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. [16] For the bridge to be so tall, long approaches will be required to allow trucks to cross. Biden visited the as part of a two-day visit to Southern California. gerald desmond bridge long beach, california. The Bridge Project opened to traffic on Monday, Oct. 5. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Depending on the level of the tide, road traffic had to descend 17 to 25 feet (5.2 to 7.6 m) below the level on the shore. The bridge lighting system features 192 energy-efficient LED lights across the main span. The first was a single railroad track built by Salt Lake Railway. Watch this virtual drive over the bridge. When the Long Beach NSY was closed in 1997, that land was converted and served as home to one of the busiest container terminals in the United States, resulting in greater cargo truck and marine traffic. Earlier reports had studied and discarded various alternatives, including an alternative alignment with a new bridge south of the existing bridge, rehabilitation of the existing bridge, and a tunnel instead of an elevated bridge. A … How to Find Contract Opportunities with the State & Caltrans . The new Gerald Desmond bridge is going to be magnificent and will likely be featured as an iconic neighbor the Vincent Thomas bridge just to the north. #1 Gerald Desmond Bridge Bridge Updated: 2020-04-08 The Gerald Desmond Bridge is a through arch bridge that carries four lanes of Ocean Boulevard from Interstate 710 in Long Beach, California, west across the Back Channel to Terminal Island. Bid Date: 04/27/2021 – 2:00 PM. [8] Studies to widen the bridge were funded in 1987. A fine art exhibit documenting the Bridge Project is opening at Long Beach Creative Group Gallery. Meet the Bridge Builders Video Series Ep …, Bridge Project Art Show Moves to Long Be …, Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project. Website by Design on Target. Long Beach prepares to open a $1.47-billion bridge - … [10] Caltrans rated the structural sufficiency of the Desmond Bridge at 43 points out of possible 100 in 2007. 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