Plans to raise Vincent Thomas Bridge rejected

The Vincent Thomas Bridge connects San Pedro with Terminal Island and Long Beach.

(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Caroline Petrow-Cohen

Staff Writer

Dec. 5, 2025

12:44 PM PT

3 min

Click here to listen to this article

Share via

Close extra sharing options

Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp

Copy Link URL

Copied!

0:00

This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

Construction on the Vincent Thomas Bridge near the Port of Los Angeles is slated to begin next month, but the project will not include a 26-foot bridge hoist that port officials were hoping for.

Port Executive Director Gene Seroka proposed raising the bridge earlier this year amid existing plans from the California Department of Transportation to re-deck the emerald green overpass connecting San Pedro to Terminal Island and Long Beach.

Raising the bridge would allow larger, more efficient ships to travel underneath carrying cargo. About 40% of the port’s cargo capacity is beyond the bridge, which sits at 185 feet high.

The California State Transportation Agency, the cabinet-level agency that oversees Caltrans, nixed the suggestion last month, saying the deck replacement had to begin as soon as possible.

San Pedro, California September 17, 2024-The Harvest moon rises over the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro Tuesday night. Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Business

A bridge too far? Vincent Thomas plans put Port of L.A. at odds with locals

As the California Department of Transportation prepares to re-deck a bridge near the Port of Los Angeles, port officials are hoping to increase the height of the bridge as well.

Sept. 20, 2025

“Vincent Thomas Bridge is scheduled for a much-needed re-decking project ... beginning in January of 2026 and ending in advance of the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement.

The agency “welcomes continued discussions to a path forward while we work to make sure the bridge is structurally sound and safe for the motoring public.”

Plans to fix up the bridge are projected to cost more than $700 million and will require the bridge to be closed to the public for 16 months. The port’s proposal to raise the bridge would have added $1.5 billion in costs and forced the bridge to close for more than two years.

The 60-year-old bridge is a local symbol to surrounding communities and supports tourism across the harbor area. It also provides a key artery for cargo trucks traveling to and from the port.

Preliminary detour routes for the bridge’s closure would send commuters, tourists and cargo through Harry Bridges Boulevard in Wilmington and on the 110 and 405 freeways.

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce voted over the summer in support of a study on the effects of raising the bridge. Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker, who represents port-adjacent communities including Wilmington, Harbor City and San Pedro, said he supported raising the bridge as long as it was safe and took locals’ needs into account.

Long Beach, CA - July 11: A Los Angeles Fire boat sprays water to commemorate the event as attendees view an area of the existing wharf that is planned to be filled in with dirt during a ceremony held by Port of Long Beach officials announcing a major South Slip Fill Project at the International Transportation Service, LLC (ITS) terminal, a $365 million terminal expansion that will support some of the world's largest container ships at the Port of Long Beach. Details of the multi-million-dollar expansion and its impact on international trade, local employment, and the regional economy were revealed. Photo taken at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach Friday, July 11, 2025. Port and other officials will describe the significance of this project to Southern California, shippers, and the U.S. The announcement will be made in the middle of one of the country's busiest, largest port operations, with tall ship-to-shore cranes and stacks of containers in the background. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Business

Big buildout begins at Port of Long Beach amid global trade uncertainty

Port officials and a marine terminal operator began construction on an expansion project at the Port of Long Beach despite a decline in port activity.

July 11, 2025

Seroka has not given up on a solution to help accommodate the next generation of cargo ships at the Port of Los Angeles.

“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 statement.

“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 administration to quickly explore additional projects,” he said.

Future projects might include raising the bridge after the deck replacement is complete, or building a new bridge altogether, Seroka said.

The port director had originally suggested raising the bridge by putting sleeve lifts and platforms on the bridge’s legs. The Bayonne Bridge connecting Staten Island, N.Y., and Bayonne, N.J., was raised in a similar manner in 2019.