Gerald Desmond Bridge demolition contract awarded by Long Beach Ports Commission – Press Telegram

The Long Beach Harbor Commission cleared a Washington-based construction company for a $ 27.5 million contract to demolish the old Gerald Desmond Bridge, a massive project tentatively scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2022 and end in 2024.

The Ports Commission, which oversees the Port of Long Beach, turned down an earlier offer after the failure of the company that made it. The new contract, which the Commission approved on Monday, July 12, went to low-bidder Kiewit West Inc. of Vancouver, Washington.

Another $ 7.2 million contract was approved for WSP USA Inc. to provide professional construction management services for the demolition project.

An additional $ 6 million will cover port costs for contract support and another $ 8.6 million will be earmarked for emergency funds to cover unforeseen costs.

Overall, the total project budget is $ 59.9 million, which includes design and bid costs of $ 10 million already incurred.

The bridge now stands idle next to the new $ 1.46 billion span that opened in October. The new span is the largest structure in Long Beach and dwarfs the original Gerald Desmond Bridge, which served the harbor for 52 years.

The port’s executive director Mario Cordero said the tentative schedule is for demolition to begin in the first quarter of 2022, with work scheduled to begin on the main span to allow larger ships to get to the aft canal. The new bridge allows for better traffic flow and also newer, much larger ships calling at Long Beach Harbor to pass underneath.

The demolition is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.

“We have all waited a long time to finally bring a few ships under this bridge,” said the President of the Port Commission, Frank Colonna, on Monday after the approval of the contract.

“This is a milestone,” said Commissioner Bonnie Lowenthal.

When the old bridge will be demolished, says Cordero, he is asked most often.

The preliminary timetable, he added, was still a “rough estimate”.

Some of the steel and bolts removed from the old bridge will be used for public art projects commemorating the original bridge, the port’s deputy general manager Duane Kenagy said. Most of the steel is recycled.

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