Port of Los Angeles and state officials signed an agreement Thursday to evaluate long-term options for replacing or modifying the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which is billed as one of California’s most important transportation assets in the nation’s supply chain.
The memorandum of understanding sets a roadmap for the port, California State Transportation Agency, and the California Department of Transportation to evaluate concepts that would strengthen safety, sustainability, improve freight mobility, support jobs, and ensures the port remains competitive as global trade evolves.
Officials said the MOU establishes a roadmap for them to come up with replacement or modification concepts through Caltrans’ project development process. The work would focus on planning, technical evaluation and environmental review to identify the most effective long-term path forward.
Port officials will provide $5 million for work needed to evaluate potential alternatives, subject to approval by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners.
“The Vincent Thomas Bridge has long been a beacon of connection for the state of California and this Port,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a statement. “We have a responsibility to ensure that connection endures for decades to come. Working together with our state partners, we will evaluate solutions that strengthen safety, improve goods movement and ensure the Port of Los Angeles remains competitive.”
Built in 1963, the Vincent Thomas Bridge connects San Pedro and Terminal Island, spanning the port’s main navigation channel.
The agreement comes as the bridge is undergoing a major redecking project for maintenance, but it does not address the bridge’s 185-foot vertical clearance, which limits access for the newest generation of larger container vessels serving global trade.
The international shipping industry continues to deploy larger, more fuel-efficient container ships capable of carrying 22,000 to 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which currently cannot pass under the bridge, constraining approximately 40% of the port’s container terminal capacity that lies north of the bridge, according to officials.
“Cargo does not move itself. This Port is home to the greatest workforce in the world who deserve every opportunity to do what they do best on both sides of our iconic bridge. This is about making smart investments today that will support jobs, cleaner operations and a stronger supply chain for future generations.” Seroka added.
Port officials said increasing or removing the vertical clearance would allow larger cleaner or more efficient vessels to access those terminals, and strengthen their ability to meet future cargo demand.
It would expand access for new, larger boats, which run on alternative fuel such as e-methanol, meeting some of the port’s sustainability goals to reduce emissions per containers moved at the terminals closes to impacted families.
Seroka, California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, and Caltrans District 7 Director Gloria Roberts signed the MOU.
“The Vincent Thomas Bridge has served the Port of Los Angeles for more than 60 years, and it’s time we start planning for the future. This partnership will strengthen our port’s economic output, create good-paying jobs, and position Los Angeles to compete in a rapidly changing global marketplace,” Bass said in a statement.
City Councilman Tim McOsker, who represents San Pedro, noted that as work continues to repair the bridge it’s important to advance plans for the future of logistics through the San Pedro Bay Complex.