Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Vincent Thomas Bridge across the Cerritos Channel

August 1999 (33.74944 Degrees, -118.27111 Degrees) Vincent Thomas Bridge

The last highway bridge onto Terminal Island is the Vincent Thomas Bridge. It's a 6000 ft long suspension bridge with a 1500 ft long main span and 506 ft long side spans. It carries State Route 47 from San Pedro Island 195 ft above the Cerritos Channel to Terminal Island. It was constructed by John A. Roebling Sons and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

As I previously mentioned, the bridge was the creation of the larger than life personality of (William) Jim Jurkovich. However, I don't know if Jim was prouder of this bridge or of playing halfback for the UC Bruins in the 1940s. Unlike the other Terminal Island Bridges, the Vincent Thomas Bridge got a seismic retrofit in the 1990s and should be good for another 50 years.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Vincent Thomas Bridge across the Cerritos Channel by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Schuyler Heim Bridges across the Back Channel in San Pedro Bay

June 2015 (33.7661 Degrees, -118.2394 Degrees) Schuyler Heim Bridges

The photo above was taken 16 years ago of the new (gray) Badger Street Lift Railroad Bridge next to the old (green) Schuyler Heim Lift Bridge. Today, a new Schuyler Heim Bridge is being built and will be completed by the end of 2016 (see photo below).  The Ports were concerned that none of the bridges that carry vehicles on and off Terminal Island were designed to stay in service for the design earthquake. To address this concern, the new Schuyler Heim was allocated an additional 10% for an enhanced seismic design. Caltrans feels confident that all three bridges have a robust seismic design that should keep the highway bridges in service following a large earthquake. The two Ports handle 40% of the goods that move in and out of the U.S. so it's important to minimize disruptions to the transportation system. The Alameda Corridor allows trains to move from the Ports through Los Angeles without any at-grade crossings. Also, a new switching yard is being built next the Ports. With the new Schuyler Heim Bridge, truck traffic should also be able to move into and out of the Ports without disruptions.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Schuyler Heim Bridges across the Back Channel in San Pedro Bay by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Gerald Desmond Bridge across Cerritos Channel

August 1999 (33.7645 Degrees, -118.2214 Degrees) Gerald Desmond Bridge

We last viewed the Gerald Desmond Bridge in my blog of March 3rd, 2009. It's a steel through truss arch bridge that was built in 1968 by the Port of Long Beach. They'd like to replace it with a taller bridge to allow bigger cargo ships to pass under it and into the Port.

Originally, HNTB was designing the cable-stayed replacement bridge, but when it was almost done the State decided they could save money with a design/build contract, which was then awarded to Arup and Shimmick Construction. The proposed bridge is shown below.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Gerald Desmond Bridge across Cerritos Channel by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: San Pedro Bay Bridges

(33.7580 Degrees, -118.2475 Degrees) San Pedro Bay Bridges

After passing under the Queensway Drive Bridges we leave the Los Angeles River and enter San Pedro Bay. The Bay is dominated by Terminal Island and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The Ports rely on three bridges to move goods in and out of Terminal Island. The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a suspension bridge designed by Jim Jurkovich at Caltrans in the 1950s. The Schuyler Heim Bridge is an old lift bridge that is currently being replaced with a cast-in-place box girder bridge. The Gerald Desmond Bridge is a truss arch bridge that is being replaced with a cable-stayed bridge. We'll spend the next few days studying these bridges.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: San Pedro Bay Bridges by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Queensway Drive Bridges across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.76000 Degrees, -118.19833 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

We've finally reached our destination, the last bridges across the Los Angeles River at it's mouth in San Pedro Bay. The Queensway Drive Bridges (53C0551L/R) are a pair of three span steel box girder bridges that were built in 1969. The name comes from the Queen Mary, a famous cruise ship that is now a tourist attraction in the Bay (seen in the distance). The bridges are cantilever structures with a 1310 ft overall length and with a 500 ft main span length over the river.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Queensway Drive Bridges across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Ocean Blvd and Shoreline Drive Bridges across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.7673 Degrees, -118.2051 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

A few more miles and we've reached the City of Long Beach near the mouth of the Los Angeles River. Note the concrete lined channel is gone. At this location the river is more of a tidal estuary full of salt water creatures.

The Ocean Blvd. Bridge (53C0927) is a 15 span steel girder bridge that was built in 1959. Sharing the same substructure are the Shoreline Drive Bridges (53C0892L); a pair of 10 span concrete box girder bridges built in 1967. These bridges cross a bikeway, a railway, several highways and the river. This is a very popular area with tourist sites and industrial sites all competing for the same real estate.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Ocean Blvd and Shoreline Drive Bridges across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Interstate I-405/I-710 Interchange across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.8258 Degrees, -118.2053 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

About four miles south of the Artesia Blvd Bridge is the I-405 (San Diego) Freeway Bridges (53 1209) and a little south of that is a utility suspension bridge. The I-405 Bridges are eight-span steel girder bridges on very wide pier walls that were built in 1963 and retrofit in 1993.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Interstate I-405/I-710 Interchange across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons License Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Artesia Blvd. Bridge across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.8743 Degrees, -118.1902 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

Just south of the I-710/I-91 Interchange is the Artesia Blvd. Bridge (53C0575). It's a twelve-span (726 ft long) concrete T-girder bridge that was built in 1949. It's also another bridge with haunched girders and big cutwaters across the Los Angeles River.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Artesia Blvd. Bridge across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Interstate 710/91 Interchange across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.8763 Degrees, -118.1898 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

Just downstream from the Atlantic Boulevard Bridge is an interchange that includes about eight bridges (N710 On-Ramp 53-2145S, Route 91 On-Ramp 53 2144K, S710-E91 Connector 53 2142F, etc.) across the Los Angeles River. Most of the bridges were built in 1971 and they're all steel girder or precast girder bridges.

The I-710 (Long Beach) Freeway follows the Los Angeles River until it makes a bend at Vernon. The city of Los Angeles has been making plans to put the I-710 underground or do something to help speed it north to Glendale and Pasadena. Unfortunately, all of these ideas are very expensive and complicated by all the faults running through the Los Angeles Basin.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Interstate 710/91 Interchange across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Atlantic Boulevard Bridge across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.88333 Degrees, -118.18833 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

Atlantic Boulevard continues south of downtown and crosses the Los Angeles River a second time in Compton. At this location it's a 15 span continuous T girder bridge that was built in 1937. The second Atlantic Blvd. Bridge (53C0185) looks almost new when compared to the photo below that was taken just after it was built (courtesy of the USC Library).

Today, the bridge has enormous cutwaters on the upstream face and the river has become a concrete channel. However, even in the 1930's the river was very wide to handle all the water that accumulated as it traveled south.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Atlantic Boulevard Bridge across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Alondra Boulevard Bridge across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.8891 Degrees, -118.1875 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

Like many other Los Angeles River bridges, the Alondra Blvd. Bridge (53C0031) was built in 1958 and widened in 1971. And like many of these bridges, it is a six span haunched girder T beam bridge on pier walls. It's funny how they were willing to cast a variable depth girder in the 1950s but not in the 1970s (like the Somerset Bridge just upstream). Perhaps the labor costs became so much higher that it acted as a disincentive to building more efficient bridges?

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Alondra Boulevard Bridge across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Somerset Boulevard Bridge across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.8962 Degrees, -118.1865 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

Continuing downstream around a bend in the river, which now covers the bottom of the channel, as we get closer to San Pedro Bay. The Somerset Blvd. Bridge (53C0646) was built later (in 1976) and is distinguished from it's neighbors because it's a T-girder bridge without haunched girders. Still, all the bridges are cast-in-place, a tradition that was established with the first bridges in 1910. This area is less graffitied, perhaps because a bike trail has been built along the river or because it is more residential and less industrial. The bridge is six spans, 438 ft long, with two lanes in each direction, and with pier walls and cutwaters.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Somerset Boulevard Bridge across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Rosecrans Avenue Bridge across the Los Angeles River

Rosecrans Bridge, Photo courtesy of WalkinginLA

South of the I-105/I-710 Interchange we passed a utility bridge full of pipes and then we came to the Rosecrans Avenue Bridges (53C0190L/R). They're both eight span T girder bridges built in 1951 and widened in 1972. The river has a touch of green but it's mostly lichen growing on concrete. Rosecrans Avenue was named after a Union General who purchased 13,000 acres south of Los Angeles in 1869. 

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Rosecrans Avenue Bridge across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: I-105/I-710 Interchange across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.9103 Degrees, -118.1805 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges 

Continuing downstream to the big I-105 (Century Freeway)/I-710 (Long Beach Freeway) Interchange (53 2419) across the Los Angeles River.  I remember when it was built because I designed part of the I-105/I-110 interchange west of here. It took the right-of-way agents several years to acquire all the land to build a new freeway all the way across Los Angeles.

The transmission lines may be finally ending because I remember a substation at this interchange. We're still about 10 miles north of the river 's mouth at San Pedro Bay.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: I-105/I-710 Interchange across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Imperial Highway Bridge across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.9306 Degrees, -118.1760 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

Looking upstream from under the Imperial Highway Bridge (53C0042). I'm not sure why a state highway bridge has a county bridge number. Anyway, it's a five span T girder bridge on pier walls that was built in 1951 and widened with I girders in 1974. You can see the previously visited Long Beach Freeway Bridge and the UP Salt Lake Bridge in the background. At this point we are about 16 miles from the river's mouth in Long Beach.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Imperial Highway Bridge across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: UP and LACM Railroad Bridge across the Rio Hondo

August 1999 (33.9357 Degrees, -118.1721 Degrees) Los Angeles River (and Rio Hondo) Bridges

Continuing downstream I came to the confluence of the Rio Hondo with the Los Angeles River. On the left side we can see the Salt Lake UPRR Bridge behind the Long Beach Freeway Bridge. On the right side we can see the continuation of the UPRR across the Rio Hondo.

The UP/LACM Rio Hondo Railroad Bridge is a narrow three span through girder bridge on pier walls. This bridge is heavily graffitied.  Behind it you can see many other bridges crossing the Rio Hondo.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: UP and LACM Railroad Bridge across the Rio Hondo by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: I-710 Bridge across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.9358 Degrees, -118.1752 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

After walking past the UPRR Bridge I came to the I-710 (Long Beach Freeway) Bridge (53 0828). It's a four span steel girder bridge on an opposite skew to the UPRR Bridge (seen in the background of today's photo). It was built in 1955 and retrofitted for earthquakes in 1996. The bridge has tall narrow pier walls but the ends of the girders are connected to hangers cantilevered past the pier.

It seems like city engineers get the more exciting bridge projects while state engineers end up with more mundane highway bridges. A problem with steel bridges on skews is that the cross-bracing sometimes doesn't meet from girder to girder causing fatigue cracks over time.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: I-710 Bridge across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Union Pacific Salt Lake Railroad Bridge across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.94114 Degrees, -118.17436 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

Today's bridge is so long and narrow, it looks like an optical illusion. Its deceiving appearance may be due to it crossing the river at such a high skew. Also, the reflections of the clouds makes it look somewhat ethereal. For all these reasons, if you search for Los Angeles River Railroad Bridges on the internet, this is the bridge you are most likely to find. The Union Pacific Salt Lake Railroad Bridge is a seven span through Warren truss bridge on short concrete pier walls that was built in 1930. It crosses over the Los Angeles River and then immediately ducks under the Long Beach Freeway at its east end and then goes over the Rio Hondo.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Union Pacific Salt Lake Railroad Bridge across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Firestone Boulevard Bridges across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.9501 Degrees, -118.1711 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

Today's bridge is a four span continuous steel girder bridge on pier walls across the Los Angeles River. The Firestone Boulevard Bridge (53C1972) was built in 1950 and it looks like cutwaters were added and then it was unfortunately widened with precast girders sitting on the cutwaters (see photo below). At least the cutwaters appear to be doing a good job of capturing debris during floods.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Firestone Boulevard Bridges across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Patata Street Metro Railroad Bridge across the Los Angeles River

August 1999 (33.9543 Degrees, -118.1723 Degrees) Los Angeles River Bridges

South of downtown, the Los Angeles River travels through an industrial area with lots of railroad bridges. Because the river provides an unimpeded right-of-right, transmission lines follow the river for most of its length. It may seem strange to concentrate our attention on a concrete channel, however the Los Angeles River plays as large a role in contemporary culture and politics as the Thames or the Tiber. Hundreds of movies feature the river and its the subject of a continuing battle between environmentalists, city planners. developers, etc.

In the photo above, we are looking north (upstream) at today's bridge as well as the Clara Street, Florence Avenue, and Gage Avenue Bridges that we visited yesterday (and the Randolph Railroad Bridge). The Patata Street (or South Gate) Railroad Bridge carries the Metro Rail across the Los Angeles River. It consists of through plate girder end spans and Warren truss middle spans. It carries a single set of tracks and enough extra room for intrepid pedestrians.

Los Angeles County, California Bridges: Patata Street Metro Railroad Bridge across the Los Angeles River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.