Arup North America and Biggs Cardosa Associates are the team’s designers for the replacement of the Port of Long Beach’s obsolete and deteriorating Gerald Desmond Bridge.
The team was named as ‘best value’ proposer in May.
Final design and engineering will begin shortly, and construction of the new bridge is to start in 2013 and is scheduled for completion in 2016.
The bridge replacement — designed to ease traffic congestion and improve safety — is being jointly procured by the Port and the California Department of Transportation. Caltrans, Los Angeles County Metro, the Port and the US Department of Transportation are contributing funds to the project.
The Gerald Desmond span, which opened in 1968, is a major commuting route for the region, and a major trade corridor, carrying 15% of all containerised cargo imported to the United States.
While the contract for the joint venture is about US$650m, the total cost of the overall bridge replacement project is estimated at about US$1bn, including site preparation, demolition and other considerations. Over the four years of construction and demolition, the work is expected to employ nearly 3,000 people a year on average.
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