Long Beach International Gateway

The 1968 roadway was four lanes (two in each direction) with a fifth climbing lane on each end. The replacement bridge carries a six-lane roadway with emergency lanes on each side, and the grade has been decreased by building a longer approach, despite the higher vertical clearance over the Back Channel; the planned improvements brought the bridge up to current freeway standards. From west to east, the new bridge spans a total of , consisting of: • The West Approach ( in the 2010 FEIR) == Construction ==

The replacement bridge was unanimously approved by the City of Long Beach in late September 2010. A project launch meeting was held at the Port of Long Beach on November 22, 2010, attended by Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, U.S. Representatives Dana Rohrabacher and Laura Richardson, Senator Alan Lowenthal and Caltrans Director Cindy McKim. • Dragados USA (leading a joint venture of CC Myers, Dragados USA, FIGG Bridge Engineers and Jacobs Engineering Group) • Kiewit Infrastructure West (leading a joint venture of Kiewit and T.Y. Lin International) • Shimmick Construction Company (leading a joint venture of Shimmick, FCC Construction/Impregilo and Arup/Biggs Cardosa) • Skanska (leading a joint venture of Skanska/Trayor/Massman, Buckland & Taylor, and CH2M HILL Engineers) Three of the pre-qualified bidders submitted proposals by March 2012, with Kiewit dropping out at the bid stage. In May 2012, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved Port of Long Beach staff's recommendation that the “best value” design-build proposal to replace the Gerald Desmond Bridge was submitted by the SFI joint venture team, comprising Shimmick Construction Company Inc., FCC Construction S.A. and Impregilo S.p.A., and the contract was awarded to the SFI JV in July 2012. Major participants in the joint venture also include Arup North America Ltd. and Biggs Cardosa Associates Inc. During the groundbreaking ceremony on January 8, 2013, two helicopters hovered above ground level, illustrating the height of the two cable towers for the planned replacement bridge. The project was originally estimated to cost $800 million in 2008. By 2010, costs had increased to $1.1 billion, == Construction issues ==

The new bridge was delayed shortly after breaking ground. The new piers were delayed by the relocation and/or removal of numerous old and active oil wells and utility lines, which prevented foundation work from beginning. The bridge is located in the midst of the Wilmington Oil Field, one of the most prolific oil-producing fields located in the United States. Another part of the cost increase and schedule delay is attributed to a 2013 redesign of the support towers. Caltrans and the Port of Long Beach required the tower redesign, executed by the SFI joint venture, allegedly to ensure seismic safety and to preserve long term structural integrity. The redesign set the estimated completion of the bridge back by 12 to 18 months. Other cost increases are attributed to extra oversight required by innovative, yet contractually compliant products and materials proposed by the designers of the replacement bridge. The MSS was designed to bridge the span between piers and to support the concrete as it was poured for each span. Once the concrete had cured, the MSS moved to the next pier and repeated the pour. The orange MSS was used on the western (Terminal Island) approach, and a similar blue MSS was used on the eastern approach. == Construction progress ==

By October 2014, work had started on the pilings which would serve as foundations for the new bridge's piers. The two cable-stay support towers were started in March (eastern tower) and April 2015 (western tower). Approach spans were underway by April 2016. On December 5, 2017, a "topping-out" ceremony was held to celebrate the completion of the two cable support towers. A virtual opening ceremony was held on October 2, 2020. Motor vehicle traffic opened in both directions on October 5, 2020, although the bicycle/pedestrian path remains incomplete as of August 2024. ==Naming==

For the first eight months after its opening, the bridge was called the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement. Mayor Robert Garcia and Assemblymember Patrick O'Donnell coordinated a community effort to decide if a new name was warranted. Family of Gerald Desmond and native Long Beach residents with former mayors Beverly O'Neill and Bob Foster favored keeping the original name; Foster felt a change would be disrespectful to the namesake of the original bridge, civic leader Gerald Desmond. In May 2021, Senator Lena Gonzalez and Assemblyman O'Donnell announced that the name "Long Beach International Gateway" had been chosen through a public survey does not have that information.) --> == Bike path ==

The replacement bridge also carries the Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path and observation decks over the water along the south side of the bridge. The path is named for Mark Bixby, a longtime proponent of adding bike lanes to the new Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement, and a descendant of one of the original founders of Long Beach. Mark Bixby died in a March 2011 plane crash at the Long Beach Airport. The bike-ped path opened in 2023. The route from Long Beach is called the Ocean Boulevard Connector. The bike path is also accessible from the end of the A Line. The route, adjacent to the car traffic, has a climb, resulting excellent views of the port of Los Angeles, downtown Long Beach, and downtown Los Angeles. The Wilmington side of the bridge is currently blocked off so it remains strictly a scenic route for the time being. == See also ==