The Vincent Thomas Bridge closure began Saturday, Nov. 7, cutting off the State Route 47 span between San Pedro and Terminal Island for a planned 16-month deck replacement.
Caltrans implemented the full closure at 12:01 a.m. and says the bridge is expected to reopen to traffic on March 1, 2028, before Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympic Games.
The closure affects both directions of SR-47 between Harbor Boulevard and Ferry Street, along with related ramps and highway connections to SR-47. Northbound SR-47 approaches from Harbor Boulevard, southbound Interstate 110 and Miraflores Avenue are also affected.
Caltrans says the bridge normally carries an average of 53,000 vehicles a day, with nearly 9 percent of that traffic made up of heavy trucks. The agency is directing drivers primarily to Interstate 710, Interstate 110, State Route 103 and Harry Bridges Boulevard.
Caltrans’ detour route page says the route was developed with input from local residents, businesses and community stakeholders, with a strategy to keep as much detour traffic as possible on the state highway system and reduce pressure on local roads.
That will be tested in the first weeks of the closure. Caltrans says it conducted local road improvements on detour routes before the shutdown, including resurfacing and striping roads and intersections, installing traffic cameras and placing temporary traffic signals. Traffic control officers are also being deployed at 18 key intersections, and local police are expected to expand commercial trucking enforcement.
Caltrans’ FAQ says the traffic management plan can change to address problems in designated detour routes. That gives local agencies room to adjust signal timing, enforcement and routing if bottlenecks appear after commuting and port traffic settle into new patterns.
Why Caltrans chose the 16-month shutdown
Caltrans says the Vincent Thomas Bridge has been in service for more than 60 years and remains structurally sound, but its concrete deck is deteriorating because of heavy traffic loading, age and the marine environment around the harbor.
The US$752.8 million deck replacement project will replace the bridge’s entire concrete roadway and modernize safety features, including railing and fencing, the center median, lighting, signage and seismic sensors. The joint venture of Skanska and California Engineering Contractors is the general contractor.
The full closure was selected after Caltrans evaluated other construction staging options. The agency’s final environmental document compared a single-stage full closure with approaches that would keep lanes open but extend the disruption. A two-stage construction plan was estimated at about 25 months, a three-stage plan at about 32 months and nighttime-only bridge closures at about 48 months. A single-stage full closure using precast or orthotropic deck types was estimated at about 16 months.
Caltrans said the single-stage option offered the shortest construction time and was selected for safety, cost and schedule reasons.
Port terminals remain open, but timing may be less predictable
The Port of Los Angeles says all of its terminals will remain open, with no expected impact to port operations, cargo terminal productivity, flow or capacity. The port also says only 8 percent of port-complex drayage truck traffic uses the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
Port access still becomes more sensitive to timing. Maersk’s customer advisory said the main exposure is landside access: trucks and employees who normally approach Terminal Island from San Pedro via the bridge now need to use Wilmington or Long Beach approaches, which can create longer and less predictable arrival times.
Maersk said no interruption to vessel navigation is expected, and no impact is expected to on-dock rail, near-dock rail or broader rail connectivity serving the port complex. The advisory told customers using Pier 400 to confirm gate hours and appointments before dispatch, allow additional travel time and communicate delayed arrivals early.
Transit changes are part of the response
LADOT Transit said Commuter Express Route 142 is being rerouted because the route normally travels over the Vincent Thomas Bridge. The detoured route travels farther north and moves east and west along Anaheim Street, adding distance that LADOT says will affect overall trip times.
LADOT also said Route 142 will be fare-free during the bridge closure. All bus stops are expected to remain open except the eastbound stop at Ocean and Magnolia, which LADOT says will be out of service until construction is complete.
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