Demolition of the Gerald Desmond Bridge in the Port of Long Beach is scheduled to start in July with the removal of the section of the span suspended over the Back Channel, requiring a 48-hour closure of the channel to all watercraft traffic, according to the company's release.
The Back Channel will be closed to vessels from 6 a.m. Saturday, July 9, to 6 a.m., Monday, July 11, as the bridge’s 410-foot-long suspended span is dismantled and lowered onto a barge. The Gerald Desmond Bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic since early October 2020 when its replacement opened. Vehicle traffic on the replacement bridge will not be affected by the demolition of the old span.
Removal of the suspended span is one of the first steps in demolishing the Desmond Bridge. Following the first weekend, further significant waterway impacts are not anticipated. Full demolition is expected to be concluded by the end of 2023.
Removal of the Desmond Bridge, rising 155 feet above the water, will allow large cargo vessels to more easily access the Port’s Inner Harbor. The new bridge has a 205-foot clearance over the channel.
The Port awarded a contract in July 2021 to Kiewit West Inc., to dismantle and remove main steel truss spans, steel plate girder approaches, abutments, columns, access ramps and other pieces of the Gerald Desmond Bridge.
Funding for the $59.9 million demolition project is included within the overall $1.57 billion budget to design and build the replacement bridge.
Metal, concrete and other materials from the old bridge will be recycled whenever possible.
The Port of Long Beach is one of the world’s premier seaports, a gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in goods movement and environmental stewardship. As the second-busiest container seaport in the United States, the Port handles trade valued at more than $200 billion annually.