It's been a long time coming, but last week Long Beach city leaders approved a $1.1billion port plan to replace the Gerald Desmond Bridge, clearing the way for Long Beach's largest public-works project in decades. Construction on the BizFed-supported project is expected to begin sometime in 2011 and take 5 to 6 years, supporting about 4,000 jobs a year until it is completed.
This replacement is a crucially needed improvement that also will help keep the port competitive in an increasingly fierce global market that will see an expanded Panama Canal come online within 5 years. Port of Long Beach authorities have worked for nearly a decade to secure funding and complete community, ecological and safety reports needed to begin work on the aging Desmond span. The crumbling superstructure has become increasingly clogged with traffic and requires giant nets underneath to prevent debris from falling onto waterways and roads below.
To read the latest news story, click here.
BizFed's voted in April to support the replacement project, and testified this fall before the Harbor Commissioners in support this project. To read more about the project, and its expected economic and improvement impact on this vital trade hub, click here.
