As part of a project to build a replacement for the Gerald
Desmond Bridge, the southbound I-710 (Long Beach) Freeway connector to
westbound Ocean Boulevard/the Gerald Desmond Bridge closed May 10 so it can be
demolished.
The ramp is expected to be out of commission for about
two-and-a-half years.
The ramp’s demolition is required to lay the foundations of a
new bridge that will replace the obsolete Gerald Desmond Bridge, and to build a
new southbound I-710 Freeway connector ramp to the new passage. The new bridge is
being built just north of the existing structure.
Construction work will include eventual demolition of the
eastbound Ocean-to-northbound I-710 connection. Details of that closure are
expected to be announced later this year.
With the connector closed, southbound I-710 traffic heading
to Terminal Island is being diverted onto southbound Pico Avenue, then to an
on-ramp that rejoins westbound Ocean to cross the Desmond Bridge. Detour signs
are in place, and a temporary traffic light is being installed at the
intersection of Pico and Pier D Street.
The $1 billion Desmond Bridge project consists of
replacement of the current 45-year-old structure with a new state-of-the-art
span. The new, still-unnamed structure is expected to be finished in 2016.
The new bridge is designed to be higher from the water and have
more traffic lanes than the present bridge.
