Hopes that raising the Vincent Thomas Bridge could be done simultaneously with a planned deck replacement project that’s fast approaching have been dashed — opening the possibility that perhaps building a new bridge might be worth pursuing instead.
The now-nixed bridge-raising proposal, publicly pitched and pursued by Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka in July, is needed to accommodate the much larger ships now coming online. Some 40% of the port’s terminal space sits behind the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which is too low for newer ships to pass under.
But state officials said combining that proposal with the approaching California Department of Transportation’s plans to shut down the bridge for more than a year to replace the road deck would be too complicated and could pose complications with regard to government funding already dedicated to just the one project. It would also have added as much as an additional year to the full bridge closure.
“The timing just didn’t work out,” Mike Jacob, president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, said in a Friday, Nov. 7, phone interview.
Seroka’s proposal, projected to cost $1.5 billion, called for raising the bridge, which was built in 1963, about 26 feet higher over the water to accommodate the world’s largest — and cleanest — container ships. Combining it with the Caltrans project would have put it on a fast track.
“All parties recognize the benefits of additional clearance to jobs and the long-term economic vitality of both the Port of Los Angeles and California,” Seroka said in a written statement on Friday. “While we were hopeful that we would be able to include a bridge raising component into Caltrans’ pending critical maintenance project, we’re encouraged by the strong support of the (Gov. Gavin Newson) administration to quickly explore additional projects, which could include raising the bridge or building a new crossing.”
The California State Transportation Agency made the decision.
“The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a structure of historic and economic importance in the Los Angeles region,” a CalSTA spokesperson said in a written statement, adding that the bridge sees more than 10,000 truck trips a day and, because the Port of Los Angeles is the busiest in the nation, is crucial to the nation’s economy. “Vincent Thomas Bridge is scheduled for a much-needed redecking project, which will improve safety and the movement of goods across the bridge, beginning in January of 2026 and ending in advance of the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
CalSTA, the statement added, “welcomes continued discussions to a path forward for that possibility while we work to make sure the bridge is structurally sound and safe for the motoring public in the meantime.”
Seroka, for his part, said he is confident that state support remains to pursue options that are necessary for the port to keep up with the growing cargo flows.
The delay, Jacob said, could also open up the conversation for possibly building a new bridge instead.
That would be much more costly, however: The neighboring International Gateway Bridge, which serves the Port of Long Beach, took 10 years to construct and cost well more than a billion dollars. Building a new bridge now would be much pricier with added inflation. But it could be done, Jacob said, while keeping the Vincent Thomas Bridge operating.
Some have also floated the idea of constructing a tunnel under the harbor.
The discussion won’t be a quick one and, Jacob said, community input would clearly be needed.
Seroka’s idea of a bridge hoist — which would be accomplished by putting sleeve lifts and platforms on the bridge’s four legs, a technology that has been used on bridges in New York and Georgia — would make room for the largest and cleanest container ships in the world, extending the bridge’s working life for up to 75 years. It would also allow a flood of new container ship business to reach terminals located in the farthest reaches of the port.
The emerald green Vincent Thomas Bridge, about a mile long, is small by today’s standards, offering only two lanes in each direction with no shoulder space. It spans from San Pedro to Terminal Island. It also carries some sentiment in San Pedro, where it has long been a symbolic and recognizable landmark of the port town. It’s appeared in movies and television programs through the years as well.
If raising the bridge were to be taken off the table, Jacob said, “it opens up the possibility of saying, ‘Maybe instead of raising the current bridge, maybe the better thing is to replace it,’ so that would become part of the discussion.”
Casting a broad net for discussion would open up a more thorough conversation of the best possibilities, he added.
“There’s a bit of liberation associated with that,” Jacob said.
The full road replacement on the bridge, meanwhile, is fast approaching. Preliminary work will be ongoing starting in 2026, with the full bridge closure set for late next year and a reopening tentatively in early 2028.
Detour routes are planned but a loss of all access to the bridge — which carries heavy traffic for both ports and is a commuter connector between Long Beach and San Pedro — for more than a year is expected to cause traffic disruption.