LA’s Gerald Desmond Bridge opens

Los Angeles’ Gerald Desmond Bridge opens

California’s first long span cable stayed bridge opened to traffic on 5 October 2020. The new Gerald Desmond Bridge has a 305m main span crossing the entrance to the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles and will carry 15% of all goods coming into the USA. The bridge was constructed to replace the existing 1968 arch bridge which has reached the end of its design life. CDC’s clients SFI Joint Venture (Shimmick – FCC – Impregilo) and Lane Construction delivered the replacement bridge for the Port of Long Beach and Caltrans under a design and build contract.

The bridge has a higher clearance and a greater span than the previous arch bridge which will allow the larger post-Panamax container ships to enter the Port of Long Beach. The bridge also incorporates extensive earthquake resistant design capabilities.

Congratulations to the project team. We are proud to have played a small part in this iconic American project. CDC has extensive experience on large scale bridge projects including Hong Kong’s Stonecutters and Shenzhen Bay bridges.