The Bridge to Everywhere: The Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge Opens by Steve Tabor
The Bridge to Everywhere: The Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge Opens
by Steve Tabor
The Port of Long Beach (Port), City of Long Beach and other Los Angeles County and state officials certainly had reason to celebrate as the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project (GDBRP) opened on Friday, October 2nd. The California legislature will officially name the GDBRP in the future. Although the celebration was subdued due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Port and City of Long Beach officials carried out a ceremony that gave a nod to the Port’s 109-year history and its future as a vital economic and transportation link.
Mayor Garcia stated, “All of the commerce that we depend on will go over this bridge, connecting Long Beach to the rest of the country.” Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, declared, “The new bridge is another major milestone in the Port’s ongoing commitment to remain the most advanced and most competitive port in the world. It is much more than a convenient roadway. It is a critical link in the global movement of cargo. It is a bridge to everywhere.”
Mayor Robert Garcia waved the checkered flag that began a parade of zero-emission and low-emission cargo trucks that will play a major role in the Port achieving its clean air goals by 2035. The 30 trucks represented the Port’s terminals and shipping lines. According to Port officials, approximately 15% of our nations imported goods travel over the bridge. This represents $170 billion dollars in goods and 2.5 million jobs.
Following the row of cargo trucks, was a parade of classic cars representing various eras of the Port’s 109-year history.
In the waters below the bridge was an armada of city, state and federal vessels as well as other commercial vessels that anchor in the Port of Long Beach. To celebrate the City of Long Beach’s US Naval history, the Tiger Squadron flew over GDBRP’s center span.
The Gerald Desmond Bridge opened in 1968 and is nearing the end of its life span. When it opened the 155 feet clearance between the lower deck of the bridge and the water level could easily accommodate the smaller scale cargo ships entering the Port. However, the larger cargo ships navigating the waters today are of a larger scale and cannot access certain parts of the Port. The bottom rail of the GDBRP stands 205 feet above the water’s surface.
The GDBRP has a total of six traffic lanes that handle 68,000 vehicles a day. Additionally, when fully completed, the Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path on the south side of the traffic lanes will feature scenic overlooks. A turnaround will be incorporated on the west side of the GDBRP to allow bikers and pedestrians the opportunity to return to Long Beach. Currently, Port of Long Beach authorities are not aware of any plans by the Port of Los Angeles to fully expand the path into San Pedro.
The construction of the GDBRP began in 2013 by clearing the obstructions such as active and abandon wells and power lines located in the construction zone. In some cases, the ground water had to be frozen to prevent intrusion into underground powerline encasements as workers redirected the lines.
Due to the lack of bedrock, the GDBRP’s below ground foundation was formed by more than 350 concrete and rebar piles that are 6 feet and 8 feet in diameter and 180 feet in length. Once the foundation was in place, 100 columns were constructed on the foundation to serve as supports for the two signature towers and the approach lanes to the bridge. Constructing the GDBRP was accomplished by utilizing a never before used movable scaffolding system. This not only sped up the construction process, but provide a safer work platform.
The GDBRP cable-stayed bridge construction utilizes its two towers to suspend the bridge’s 2,000-foot center section. From the base, the two towers extend 515 feet into the air. The center section is anchored to each tower by a network of 40 cables. Depending on their location, each cable is formed by 45 to 109 individual steel strands.
The GDBRP is designed to have a 100-year life span with minimal maintenance. It is one of the most seismically advanced structures in the country. The bridge construction includes 74 seismic sensors to provide information about an earthquake’s impact on the structure. Additionally, the underground piles forming the Bridge’s foundation can absorb some of the earthquake’s initial shock. A construction technique known as “Bent Ends” allows the east and west approaches and the main bridge span to react independently during an earthquake. Also, a system of expansion joints, dampers, hinges, sheer keys and bearings serve as safeguards to allow the bridge to react to the earth’s movement.
The entire cost of the project came in at $1.47 billion which was jointly funded by the Port, Caltrans, the US Department of Transportation, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Following construction Caltrans will be charged with the operation of Bridge.
With the completion of the GDBRP, work will soon begin to the remove the Gerald Desmond Bridge.
Bridge Building Blocks:
1.7 million feet (approximately 332 miles) of cable.
18 million pounds of structural steel and 75 million pounds of rebar.
All steel used on the project is American steel.
300,000 cubic yards of concrete
Total length of the bridge is 8,800 feet. 2,000 feet is supported by cable-stayed span.
The Bridge is the second tallest cable-stayed bridge in the United States. It has the highest clearance of any cable-stayed bridge in the country.
There’s More to the Story
Mr. Gerald Desmond was prominent civic leader in the City of Long Beach. Mr. Desmond served as a City Councilmember, a Superior Court Judge and the City Attorney. During his time as a Superior Court Judge, he was the first judge to institute weekend jail sentences for individuals to allow them to maintain their weekday livelihoods.
Mr. Desmond graduated from California University Berkeley and Harvard School of Law. He died at age 48 in 1964 while serving as the City Attorney for Long Beach
Steve Tabor Bio
This South Bay native’s photographic journey began after receiving his first 35mm film camera upon earning his Bachelor of Arts degree. Steve began with photographing coastal landscapes and marine life. As a classroom teacher he used photography to share the world and his experiences with his students. Steve has expanded his photographic talents to include portraits and group photography, special event photography as well as live performance and athletics. Steve serves as a volunteer ranger for the Catalina Island Conservancy and uses this opportunity to document the flora and fauna of the island’s interior as well as photograph special events and activities.
Watch for Steve Tabor Images on the worldwide web.