Replacement To Gerald Desmond Bridge In Long Beach Nearly Finished
LONG BEACH (CBSLA) — Workers are getting the new Gerald Desmond Bridge ready for its opening day.
The new bridge, replacing the old Gerald Desmond Bridge, is scheduled to open in October. The old bridge was named for a former Long Beach city attorney, but the new bridge has yet to be named.
The bridge, which connects the 710 Freeway to the shipping yards on Terminal Island, has been under construction since 2013.
The new structure is 205 feet above the water, 50 feet higher than the old bridge to accommodate larger, greener vessels. It's also wider than the old bridge, with three lanes of traffic in both directions, and will include four safety lanes for potential accidents and access for emergency vehicles.
