DOT adds Gerald Desmond Bridge to loan program

   The Port of Long Beach has been selected to apply for a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan to replace the highly congested Gerald Desmond Bridge.
   The bridge lacks capacity for current and projected traffic, including trucks that serve the Southern California port, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Tuesday.
   The Port of Long Beach project was one of five picked to submit a loan application, which the Transportation Department will review. The port plans to replace the bridge as part of a cooperative agreement with the California Department of Transportation. If approved, the loan will go toward financing part of the estimated total project cost of $960.2 million. The loan will also pay for the addition of a sixth travel lane and for leveling the approach grades onto the bridge.
   The existing bridge, located at the south end of Interstate 710, is the main link between the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The ports combine to form the largest maritime complex in the United States, accommodating 40 percent of the nation’s containerized cargo.