Final beam for Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement

The US$1.47 billion project was started in 2013 and open later this year.
By David Arminas May 1, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Final beam for California’s first cable-stayed bridge for vehicles (photo courtesy Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project)

The final steel beam has been installed for the replacement Port of Long Beach bridge - California’s first cable-stayed bridge for vehicles.

The beam was carefully lifted into position almost two years after construction began and which is expected to open later this year. The US$1.47 billion project to replace the current Gerald Desmond Bridge was started in 2013. The current bridge, finished in 1968, is a through arch steel structure that carries four lanes of Ocean Boulevard from Interstate 710 in Long Beach,

The new bridge will provide a higher clearance for cargo ships, possess a high degree of structural resilience against earthquakes and have a 100-year minimum lifespan. There will be six traffic lanes and four emergency shoulders, a bike and pedestrian path with scenic overlooks and more efficient transition ramps and connectors to improve traffic flow.

Assembling the main span over the Port’s Back Channel began in April 2018 with the lifting of the initial bolted sections of steel flooring to be attached to the first set of cables from the two 515-foot-tall towers.

Main-span construction requires deck sections to be added equally on both sides of the towers. Each floor beam is about 140 feet long and 10 feet tall, weighs about 32 tons and is connected to other steel components known as edge girders with more than 200 bolts.

Once a section of floor beams is bolted together, crews attach it to the tower with dozens of cables, then place pre-cast concrete road deck panels that form the road deck. There are 117 floor beams that support a main span that rises 205 feet over the water.

Additional major tasks left to do include a post-tensioning process by which cables are installed horizontally through the floor and pulled tight to increase the strength of the main span concrete deck.

The project is a joint effort by Caltrans – the California Department of Transportation - and the Port of Long Beach, with additional funding from the US Department of Transportation and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • First concrete beam raised for new Mersey bridge link
    December 11, 2015
    The first concrete bridge beam for a junction on the new Mersey Gateway route has been lifted into place. Work is underway on a major road junction for the Mersey Gateway Project, with the first of 156 of the concrete beams has been lifted into place as work ramps up at a major road junction. A 550tonne capacity crane lowered the 106tonne beam into position at the Bridgewater junction in Runcorn, where the new Astmoor Bridgewater viaduct is being built over the Bridgewater canal. Two elevated slip roads ar
    Read More
  • Barrier innovation putting traffic safety and flow first
    April 3, 2014
    Cutting-edge barriers offering greater safety at the same time as limiting traffic disruption are proving in demand on busy world highways, as Guy Woodford reports Small footprint; minimum disruption after impact; lower labour costs; all said to be elements contributing to the growing popularity of the Trend terminal from Trinity Highway Products. This family of end terminals offers a range of safe and efficient solutions to barrier ends with quick and easy assembly and installation. Trinity claims th
    Read More
  • Golden route to success
    July 20, 2012
    Built in 1937 and still the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge across San Francisco Bay remains in fine shape despite its age - Andrew Bardin Williams writes The Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 years old on May 27 and continues to play a key role in the transportation, engineering, construction and ITS communities. The structure has played an important historical role, an engineering success that boosted the economy of the region. And it also led the way as the first major pub
    Read More
  • IRF Global Road Achievement Award Laureate
    January 5, 2016
    As a key engineering project on the Changsha-Chongqing Expressway in Southwest China, the Aizhai Bridge, constructed by the Hunan Road & Bridge Construction Group, was opened to traffic in March 2012. The Aizhai Bridge crosses the 1000m-wide scenic Dehang Canyon at an elevation of 355m. It has a main span of 1,176m, making it the world’s longest canyon-crossing bridge in the world. The erection of the main girder (the stiffening girder) of the Aizhai Bridge encountered serious challenges, including a la
    Read More

Highlighted Content