The Gerald Desmond Bridge has been a mainstay over the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach for decades.
Gerald Desmond Bridge by sirgious, on Flickr
Gerald Desmond Bridge by sirgious, on Flickr
Long Beach - Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement
Curbed
LB's Gerald Desmond Replacement Set to Move Next Year
Tuesday, May 15, 2012, by James Brasuell
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The $1 billion project to rebuild the Gerald Desmond Bridge at the Port of Long Beach is getting set for construction next year. The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports that yesterday the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission approved a "notice of intent" to award a $649.5 million contract to the joint venture team that will handle the design build portion of the project. The Gerald Desmond Bridge was built in the 1960s, but must be replaced to increase both ship and truck traffic through the port. Then there is the embarrassing fact that the Gerald Desmond is a grown-ass bridge that has to wear a diaper (pictured in the above gallery) to catch the crumbling concrete that frequently falls from its 165 foot high underbelly. The new bridge, which is expected to get underway in 2013 and require five years to complete, will have 200 foot clearance over the water--enough room for modern container ships to pass under with ease.
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...and would probably cost only 3 times as much to build.
hno:
fast forward a few months and voila!
CurbedLA
CurbedLA
Long Beach's $1B Gerald Desmond Bridge Started Work Today
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6:59 PM, Jan. 8 2013
Work officially started today on a replacement for the Gerald Desmond Bridge that connects the 710 and Terminal Island at the Port of Long Beach, The Source reports. The old GDB will stay up until the new $1 billion bridge is open--the first incarnation went up in 1968 and is in sad and scary condition, according to Caltrans (it also has to wear a diaper, thanks to falling debris). The bridge's 1.5-mile span will be about 50 feet taller than the old bridge, allowing modern, greener cargo ships to pass under. The upgrade includes additional vehicle lanes, three in each direction, plus safety lanes, as well as bike and pedestrian paths. According to materials from Caltrans, Metro, the Port of Long Beach, and the US Department of Transportation, which are all working on this mammoth undertaking, the new bridge will be an improvement on the former's steep grades, leading to traffic improvements. Construction is expected to take four years.
It was Vincent Thomas Bridge which featured in Gone in 60 Seconds. Not quite the same
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Thomas_Bridge
Anyway, it is nice to see another new big cable stayed bridge going up in the US.
NEWER RENDERINGS
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
Long Beach Police helicopters hover at the height of the towers of the new bridge at the groundbreaking for the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at the Port of Long Beach.
News Details
New CA Bridge, a Critical Economic Link, Now Under Construction
Project Will Keep Port of Long Beach Internationally Competitive
July 13, 2013
Construction has begun on the $1 billion majestic bridge that will enhance Southern California's vital link to international trade and dramatically improve an important commuter and trucking corridor at the Port of Long Beach.
In the early morning hours, crews began demolishing the final sections of a U-shaped freeway off-ramp west of the existing Gerald Desmond Bridge. The ramp removal was needed to clear the path for the first sections of an iconic six-lane bridge that will provide a much-needed, taller clearance of 205 feet. This new bridge, which also will feature cable towers reaching 515 feet above the Long Beach skyline, is being built immediately adjacent to and north of the existing four-lane span that has been deemed obsolete.
When completed in 2016, the new bridge will allow a new generation of big cargo ships to reach the inner berths at the Port. The project is part of $4.5 billion in improvements over the next decade aimed at modernizing Port facilities.
“As more big ships enter the Pacific trade routes, the Port of Long Beach must be fully capable to handle these larger vessels with optimum efficiency,” said Port spokesman John Pope. “This new bridge will improve critical infrastructure that will help keep Long Beach competitive in the global markets in the decades ahead.”
The new bridge will come at a time when bigger cargo ships are crossing the world’s oceans – and even bigger vessels are under construction. As one of the world’s busiest seaports, Long Beach continues to see steady growth in cargo volumes as shipping lines sign agreements to expand operations. A few months ago, Long Beach received a ship capable of carrying 14,000 container units–the largest container vessel to visit a North American port.
But when the Gerald Desmond Bridge opened in 1968, cargo ships were about one-sixth the size of what enters the harbor today. The existing bridge height, 155 feet, restricts these new, larger ships from reaching piers within the inner channels.
The new bridge will raise the clearance over the Port’s inner harbor channel an additional 50 feet, giving it the tallest span height for a cable-stayed bridge in the U.S. and easily allowing big ships to pass underneath.
Now that replacement construction is under way, Southern California will begin to see the approximately 8,000-foot-long bridge emerge in phases over the next three years. Photos and video showing the progress will be routinely posted on the new bridge website: www.newgdbridge.com.
At the same time, construction crews will begin to implement carefully designed plans to build a major piece of infrastructure with the least amount of traffic disruptions. For construction updates, traffic information and other details about the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project, go to www.newgdbridge.com.
NOTE: Copies of bridge renderings are available at www.newgdbridge.com/pressphotos.
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
Long Beach Police helicopters hover at the height of the towers of the new bridge at the groundbreaking for the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at the Port of Long Beach.
News Details
New CA Bridge, a Critical Economic Link, Now Under Construction
Project Will Keep Port of Long Beach Internationally Competitive
July 13, 2013
Construction has begun on the $1 billion majestic bridge that will enhance Southern California's vital link to international trade and dramatically improve an important commuter and trucking corridor at the Port of Long Beach.
In the early morning hours, crews began demolishing the final sections of a U-shaped freeway off-ramp west of the existing Gerald Desmond Bridge. The ramp removal was needed to clear the path for the first sections of an iconic six-lane bridge that will provide a much-needed, taller clearance of 205 feet. This new bridge, which also will feature cable towers reaching 515 feet above the Long Beach skyline, is being built immediately adjacent to and north of the existing four-lane span that has been deemed obsolete.
When completed in 2016, the new bridge will allow a new generation of big cargo ships to reach the inner berths at the Port. The project is part of $4.5 billion in improvements over the next decade aimed at modernizing Port facilities.
“As more big ships enter the Pacific trade routes, the Port of Long Beach must be fully capable to handle these larger vessels with optimum efficiency,” said Port spokesman John Pope. “This new bridge will improve critical infrastructure that will help keep Long Beach competitive in the global markets in the decades ahead.”
The new bridge will come at a time when bigger cargo ships are crossing the world’s oceans – and even bigger vessels are under construction. As one of the world’s busiest seaports, Long Beach continues to see steady growth in cargo volumes as shipping lines sign agreements to expand operations. A few months ago, Long Beach received a ship capable of carrying 14,000 container units–the largest container vessel to visit a North American port.
But when the Gerald Desmond Bridge opened in 1968, cargo ships were about one-sixth the size of what enters the harbor today. The existing bridge height, 155 feet, restricts these new, larger ships from reaching piers within the inner channels.
The new bridge will raise the clearance over the Port’s inner harbor channel an additional 50 feet, giving it the tallest span height for a cable-stayed bridge in the U.S. and easily allowing big ships to pass underneath.
Now that replacement construction is under way, Southern California will begin to see the approximately 8,000-foot-long bridge emerge in phases over the next three years. Photos and video showing the progress will be routinely posted on the new bridge website: www.newgdbridge.com.
At the same time, construction crews will begin to implement carefully designed plans to build a major piece of infrastructure with the least amount of traffic disruptions. For construction updates, traffic information and other details about the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project, go to www.newgdbridge.com.
NOTE: Copies of bridge renderings are available at www.newgdbridge.com/pressphotos.
5
HISTORY
Since its earliest days, Long Beach has needed reliable access to Terminal Island. The first bridge with access to the island was a single railroad track built on a wooden trestle by the Salt Lake Railway. By 1908, it was clear that something more reliable was needed. That year the trestle was replaced by a 187-foot bascule drawbridge known as the "jackknife" bridge, because it opened and closed like a pocket knife.
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
In the mid-1930s, the jackknife bridge was removed after the Union Pacific stopped using it. For several years there was no bridge in place, leaving the Badger Avenue Bridge (now the Henry Ford Bridge) as the only rail link to Terminal Island.
As World War II neared, the Navy needed better access to and from its station on Terminal Island. A pontoon bridge was constructed that could open and close allowing ship traffic to pass in and out of the harbor. The pontoon bridge was intended to be a temporary structure in place for six months but was used for decades.
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
In the mid-1960s, construction began on the replacement of the pontoon bridge, the Gerald Desmond Bridge.
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
The roughly 1.5-mile span, named after a former city attorney and councilman of the city of Long Beach, was completed in 1968. The bridge has served the needs of the Port and the city for many years.
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
Increasing traffic volumes and the ravages of time have taken a toll on the Gerald Desmond Bridge. Although it is safe for traffic, protective netting catches chunks of concrete that fall from the span.
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
![]()
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
Since its earliest days, Long Beach has needed reliable access to Terminal Island. The first bridge with access to the island was a single railroad track built on a wooden trestle by the Salt Lake Railway. By 1908, it was clear that something more reliable was needed. That year the trestle was replaced by a 187-foot bascule drawbridge known as the "jackknife" bridge, because it opened and closed like a pocket knife.
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
In the mid-1930s, the jackknife bridge was removed after the Union Pacific stopped using it. For several years there was no bridge in place, leaving the Badger Avenue Bridge (now the Henry Ford Bridge) as the only rail link to Terminal Island.
As World War II neared, the Navy needed better access to and from its station on Terminal Island. A pontoon bridge was constructed that could open and close allowing ship traffic to pass in and out of the harbor. The pontoon bridge was intended to be a temporary structure in place for six months but was used for decades.
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
In the mid-1960s, construction began on the replacement of the pontoon bridge, the Gerald Desmond Bridge.
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
The roughly 1.5-mile span, named after a former city attorney and councilman of the city of Long Beach, was completed in 1968. The bridge has served the needs of the Port and the city for many years.
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
Increasing traffic volumes and the ravages of time have taken a toll on the Gerald Desmond Bridge. Although it is safe for traffic, protective netting catches chunks of concrete that fall from the span.
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
8
Bridge Project's Oil Roots Run Deep
October 30, 2013
http://www.newgdbridge.com/updates/default.asp
Giant bridges are always engineering marvels. The new Gerald Desmond Bridge will also be a wonder, with towers rising more than 500 feet into the air and a roadway standing 205 feet over the water.
Building the new bridge begins with a unique engineering challenge – not up high but down deep in the earth.
“We’re building this bridge to last 100 years,” said Al Moro, Acting Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach. “Replacing its outdated predecessor starts from below the ground up.”
Shoring up the soil beneath the new bridge’s footprint is both a crucial first step and a massive undertaking. The modern 1.5-mile-long structure will traverse the center of the nation’s third-largest oil field, where more than 6,000 wells have been drilled since oil was discovered in 1932. Roughly 13 miles long and 3 miles wide, the Wilmington Oil Field encompasses nearly all of the Port and stretches into portions of the city of Long Beach and the ocean. About 600 wells remain active today.
Twenty-three active and idle wells sit in the path of the new bridge. To secure the site, the active wells require relocation and the idle ones must be abandoned. Getting the job done involves digging down deep enough – more than 200 feet – to extract huge metal pipes known as casings and filling the cavities with a precise mix of materials to re-establish the natural consistency, density and strength of the soil. The work is anything but routine and the scale is immense.
Separately, the Port must clear another 18 wells that had been previously abandoned. Removing them and stabilizing the land requires significantly greater care and horsepower due to utility lines buried within the old fill; casings damaged by explosive charges once used to seal inactive wells; surrounding concrete pads; and double steel casings.
To meet the challenge, engineers and crews devised a unique method of extracting the remnants in stages to protect the integrity of the shaft and the environment. The technique involves encasing each old casing in a larger-diameter pipe and removing debris in 10- to 30-feet-long vertical segments. To clear one site, a skilled dive team was lowered into a casing to perform the work.
Another factor is the property’s history of “subsidence.” Years of pumping oil up caused the ground to sink during the 1940s and 1950s. The city’s oil field operator stabilized the land and restored it to its original heights in the 1960s, but that history is another reason to proceed with caution.
“We’re taking extraordinary measures to ensure the stability of the land and prevent contamination of the underground layers of soil and the water table,” Moro said.
Oil wells aren’t the only underground obstacles that must be removed. Readying the site also involves relocating 10 miles of horizontal utility lines – water, natural gas, sewer, storm drains and electrical wiring – that form a web of hidden infrastructure supporting the present-day power and drainage needs of the Port and the city. At times, the work involves injecting liquid nitrogen into the soil to freeze the land to prevent water from seeping into the trenches dug to uncover the lines.
Lastly, clearing the path for the bridge involves demolishing 18 buildings, including a former fire station and the Port’s Maintenance Yard.
The added complexity has increased the cost of replacing a vital link in the nation’s infrastructure for cargo and commuters. All told, the budget now stands at $1.263 billion, which is being paid for by a combination of Port revenues and federal, state and regional transportation funds. The total includes almost $240 million for the oil field work and nearly $92 million for contingencies and potential risks, should they arise.
The path for the new bridge is expected to be cleared by year’s end. Then, work on the foundation for the new bridge will begin with the driving of approximately 300 piles deep into the ground. The equivalent of 18-story subterranean pillars, the piles will support about 70 columns and the two distinctive 515-foot-tall towers that will be the centerpiece of the cable-stayed section of the new structure.
“The new bridge will be an icon,” Moro said. “It also will symbolize the Port’s commitment to a future built on best practices and the highest standards.”
![]()
![]()
October 30, 2013
http://www.newgdbridge.com/updates/default.asp
Giant bridges are always engineering marvels. The new Gerald Desmond Bridge will also be a wonder, with towers rising more than 500 feet into the air and a roadway standing 205 feet over the water.
Building the new bridge begins with a unique engineering challenge – not up high but down deep in the earth.
“We’re building this bridge to last 100 years,” said Al Moro, Acting Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach. “Replacing its outdated predecessor starts from below the ground up.”
Shoring up the soil beneath the new bridge’s footprint is both a crucial first step and a massive undertaking. The modern 1.5-mile-long structure will traverse the center of the nation’s third-largest oil field, where more than 6,000 wells have been drilled since oil was discovered in 1932. Roughly 13 miles long and 3 miles wide, the Wilmington Oil Field encompasses nearly all of the Port and stretches into portions of the city of Long Beach and the ocean. About 600 wells remain active today.
Twenty-three active and idle wells sit in the path of the new bridge. To secure the site, the active wells require relocation and the idle ones must be abandoned. Getting the job done involves digging down deep enough – more than 200 feet – to extract huge metal pipes known as casings and filling the cavities with a precise mix of materials to re-establish the natural consistency, density and strength of the soil. The work is anything but routine and the scale is immense.
Separately, the Port must clear another 18 wells that had been previously abandoned. Removing them and stabilizing the land requires significantly greater care and horsepower due to utility lines buried within the old fill; casings damaged by explosive charges once used to seal inactive wells; surrounding concrete pads; and double steel casings.
To meet the challenge, engineers and crews devised a unique method of extracting the remnants in stages to protect the integrity of the shaft and the environment. The technique involves encasing each old casing in a larger-diameter pipe and removing debris in 10- to 30-feet-long vertical segments. To clear one site, a skilled dive team was lowered into a casing to perform the work.
Another factor is the property’s history of “subsidence.” Years of pumping oil up caused the ground to sink during the 1940s and 1950s. The city’s oil field operator stabilized the land and restored it to its original heights in the 1960s, but that history is another reason to proceed with caution.
“We’re taking extraordinary measures to ensure the stability of the land and prevent contamination of the underground layers of soil and the water table,” Moro said.
Oil wells aren’t the only underground obstacles that must be removed. Readying the site also involves relocating 10 miles of horizontal utility lines – water, natural gas, sewer, storm drains and electrical wiring – that form a web of hidden infrastructure supporting the present-day power and drainage needs of the Port and the city. At times, the work involves injecting liquid nitrogen into the soil to freeze the land to prevent water from seeping into the trenches dug to uncover the lines.
Lastly, clearing the path for the bridge involves demolishing 18 buildings, including a former fire station and the Port’s Maintenance Yard.
The added complexity has increased the cost of replacing a vital link in the nation’s infrastructure for cargo and commuters. All told, the budget now stands at $1.263 billion, which is being paid for by a combination of Port revenues and federal, state and regional transportation funds. The total includes almost $240 million for the oil field work and nearly $92 million for contingencies and potential risks, should they arise.
The path for the new bridge is expected to be cleared by year’s end. Then, work on the foundation for the new bridge will begin with the driving of approximately 300 piles deep into the ground. The equivalent of 18-story subterranean pillars, the piles will support about 70 columns and the two distinctive 515-foot-tall towers that will be the centerpiece of the cable-stayed section of the new structure.
“The new bridge will be an icon,” Moro said. “It also will symbolize the Port’s commitment to a future built on best practices and the highest standards.”
2
PROGRESS
All photos:
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
![]()
Drilling Test Shaft 4
![]()
Drilling Test Shaft 4
![]()
Drilling Test Shaft 5
![]()
Drilling Test Shaft 5
![]()
Demolition of Pier T Ramp
All photos:
http://www.newgdbridge.com/gallery/press_photos.asp
"Courtesy of the Port of Long Beach."
Drilling Test Shaft 4
Drilling Test Shaft 4
Drilling Test Shaft 5
Drilling Test Shaft 5
Demolition of Pier T Ramp
5
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-...=la-me-rebuilding-gerald-desmond-pictures-011
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-...=la-me-rebuilding-gerald-desmond-pictures-011
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-...=la-me-rebuilding-gerald-desmond-pictures-011
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-...=la-me-rebuilding-gerald-desmond-pictures-011
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-...=la-me-rebuilding-gerald-desmond-pictures-011
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-...=la-me-rebuilding-gerald-desmond-pictures-011
Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-...=la-me-rebuilding-gerald-desmond-pictures-011
1 - 20 of 42 Posts
