The Port of Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has
temporarily put off voting on the full budget for a $1.2 billion plan to
renovate two aging shipping terminals, saying that more time is needed for
review.
During its Jan. 7 meeting, the board agreed to place the
vote on hold pending further review of the Middle Harbor redevelopment project
by commissioners, stakeholders and the public. A workshop has been tentatively
set for Jan. 22, with the time still to be determined.
“There will be a study session about the overall project,”
Commission President Susan Anderson Wise explained. “Its phases and various
contracts will be reviewed in order for the board to have a broader understanding
of the entire project before voting on the project budget.”
The Middle Harbor redevelopment plan consists of the
combining of two aging shipping terminals, Pier E and Pier F, into one modern
terminal for the purpose of improving cargo-movement efficiency and reduction
of environmental hazards. According to the port, the project upgrades wharfs,
water access and storage area; as well as add a greatly expanded on-dock rail
yard.
Despite the lack of final budget approval, work on the nine
year project began in the spring of 2011; since then, the port has been
upgrading the area’s wharfs, water access and storage area, plus expanding
on-dock rail.
On April 3, 2012, Orient Overseas Container Line signed a
40-year, $4.6 billion lease with the port to operate the 300-acre terminal
along with its subsidiary, Long Beach Container Terminal. LBCT has occupied
Pier F since 1986.
