Vincent Thomas Bridge plans put the port at odds with locals

As officials ponder whether to spend at least a year and $1.5 billion more on an already ambitious upgrade of the Vincent Thomas Bridge, locals are asking if the nightmare they will have to endure during construction will be worth it.

- By CAROLINE PETROW-COHEN

THE MOON rises over the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro last September.

Soon after the California Department of Transportation shared plans to fix up the more than 60-year-old bridge that connects downtown Long Beach to San Pedro and Terminal Island, the Port of Los Angeles piled on with even bigger plans.

Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of L.A., suggested Caltrans also raise the height of the symbol of the locality by 26 feet.

Raising the bridge would allow larger cargo ships to pass under its deck, helping create jobs and keep the port relevant.

It would also increase the project’s price, already projected at more than $700 million, by an additional $1.5 billion.

Most painfully for local commuters and businesses, it would mean the bridge will be closed for around 28 months rather than the originally planned 16 months.

About 40% of the port’s cargo container capacity is beyond the bridge, which is 185 feet high. Raising the bridge to 2i1 feet would accommodate the next generation of cargo ships, which will be larger and more energy efficient, Seroka said.

“You're going to need more capacity at the nation’s largest port,” he said. “Caltrans was looking to resurface the bridge and we thought maybe there was a way you could accomplish both.”