The Desmond family, joined by a small group of political figures, sent a longstanding member of their family off to retirement Saturday morning with the cutting of a ribbon and a view of the Port of Long Beach.
The Gerald Desmond Bridge, which served as a critical connection between the Port of Long Beach and Terminal Island since 1968, has been decommissioned since October of 2020, when the newly-built Long Beach International Gateway opened for use.
The bridge that helped Long Beach become a competitive partner in trans-Pacific trade is set to be demolished in June, but Desmond’s son was present to retrieve the golden bolt inserted in the bridge almost 60 years ago.
“My father was dedicated to fighting for and preserving the rights and interests of the City of Long Beach and the Port of Long Beach,” Desmond said in a statement to the city. “Our family was deeply honored when the bridge was named for him, and we were happy to honor him once again during the bridge retirement ceremony.”
The structure was named after the former Long Beach city councilman and attorney who was responsible for securing the funds necessary to build the bridge. Although Desmond died before construction on his namesake bridge was complete, a new outlook built on the new bridge will be named in Desmond’s honor, according to a statement from the city.
“Gerald Desmond will always be remembered for securing the Tidelands oil funds that were needed to help pay for a bridge that helped the Port of Long Beach grow to where we are today,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero in a statement. “We hope that this retirement ceremony is a fitting tribute to his legacy and for the Desmond family as we look ahead to the next chapter for this port complex.”
A ‘stick-by-stick’ demolition set to start in June
The final goodbye of the Desmond Gerald Bridge will not go out with a boom, but with a careful lowering and dismantling process expected to begin in June, Capital Programs Executive for the Port of Long Beach Duane Kenagy explained.
“We’re still waiting on notification from the contractor,” Kenagy said. “But due to the close proximity of other buildings, a controlled demolition will take place. It’s also very close to the new bikeway, which is still closed to the public.”
According to Kenagy, the main part of the bridge will be lowered into the water and taken apart in the reverse sequence that it was put together, a method referred to as stick-by-stick. This will take place over a weekend in June and is the first phase in the two-step process, which is estimated to take about a year.
This is also the only part of the process that will require the closure of the main channel in the port for 48 hours. As for the concrete pillars, the team will have to use a hammer to break apart the large pieces.
The contract between the Port of Long Beach and the demolition company, KIEWIT Pacific, ran for $27.5 million, Kenagy said. The company was chosen in part for its experience in large projects such as the Oakland Bay Bridge.
Certain environmental factors will also be taken into consideration, such as “normal protections of dust control, protecting nesting birds and dealing with the primer paints used,” Kenagy said.
