Long Beach to replace Gerald Desmond Bridge

Long Beach to replace Gerald Desmond Bridge    The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Monday unanimously approved a plan to replace the aging Gerald Desmond Bridge with a new, nearly $1 billion span that would accommodate future traffic needs and improve safety for vessels and vehicles.
   The port, in partnership with Caltrans, will oversee the project to design and build a higher, wider bridge parallel to and just north of the existing Gerald Desmond Bridge. Once the new bridge is completed and open, the old structure will be taken down. The bridge is expected to take five to six years to build.
   'This is a high priority project both on a national and a local scale,' said Harbor Commission President Nick Sramek, in a statement. 'It benefits both the environment and the economy, and we need to move forward expeditiously.'
   The Gerald Desmond Bridge is an important route for cargo, carrying about 15 percent of the nation's goods. It is also a critical link for commuters, who make up about 75 percent of bridge traffic. The bridge serves as a connection for thousands of vehicles each day between Long Beach and San Pedro, and between Orange County and western Los Angeles County, the Long Beach port noted.
   The new bridge will have three traffic lanes plus emergency lanes in both directions to better accommodate cars and trucks on this major Southern California commuter route. The new bridge will be higher to allow for the newest generation of cargo ships to pass underneath, the port said. ' Eric Johnson