Port of LA Embarks on Major Roadway Project

Key Segments of Harbor I-110 Freeway To Undergo More Than $100 Million in Improvements, Generating 700+ Direct and Indirect Jobs

In the coming weeks, the Port of Los Angeles will start construction on two major roadway projects that will improve the Harbor I-110 Freeway and nearby surface streets in San Pedro and Wilmington. The work, due to begin in February and extend through fall 2016, will make the Harbor Area safer and easier to navigate for all motorists.

“These are significant public works projects that will improve the flow of traffic for thousands of commuters and truck drivers who use these roadways every day,” said Gary Lee Moore, Interim Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles. “The I-110/C Street project will also help separate car and truck traffic near the Port, making the drive safer and more manageable for everyone who lives and works in the harbor district.”

The Port is investing $46.6 million to widen the westbound transition from the SR-47 to the northbound I-110 and reconfigure the I-110/C Street interchange. The two projects will improve key segments of the freeway that link the nation’s No. 1 container port to downtown Los Angeles and are part of Southern California’s larger Regional Transportation Improvement Plan for a six-county area.

The Port’s contribution represents about half the $101 million cost of both projects. The Port is the lead agency working in partnership with two sister city agencies – the Department of Water and Power and the Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering. The Port is also partnering with the California Department of Transportation and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).

Two Southern California companies, C.A. Rasmussen Inc. and Griffith Company, are the prime contractors. The work will generate more than 700 direct and indirect jobs in the immediate five-county region.

The SR-47/I-110 project will widen the westbound connector to the northbound I-110 by adding a second lane that starts after the Vincent Thomas Bridge and extends beyond the John S. Gibson Boulevard off-ramp. The existing lane will remain open during construction. Key features are:

• Two lanes for vehicles transitioning from the SR-47 to the I-110.
• Improved freeway entrance and exit ramps at John S. Gibson Boulevard.
• Improvements to John S. Gibson Boulevard.
• Sound walls varying in height from 8 to 14 feet to reduce freeway noise impacting residential neighborhoods.
• Widening the Pacific Avenue and Channel Street bridges.
• Realignment of nearby railroad tracks.

The I-110/C Street interchange will eliminate bottlenecks caused by two major intersections within about 500 feet of each other and the C Street/I-110 entrance and exit. A new configuration of ramps and a single, more efficient signalized intersection will replace the existing layout. Key features are:

• A new off-ramp for traffic exiting the northbound I-110 to Harry Bridges Boulevard.
• A dedicated lane for vehicles traveling north on John S. Gibson Boulevard transitioning to Harry Bridges Boulevard.
• A dedicated lane for traffic exiting the southbound I-110 and continuing south on John S. Gibson Boulevard.
• Elimination of the intersection at C and Figueroa streets, with C Street ending in a cul-de-sac west of Figueroa Street.
• Realignment of Harry Bridges and John S. Gibson boulevards. 

The Port is conducting extensive public outreach throughout the construction period and will use electronic signs, notices posted on its website, online messaging and other methods to disseminate updates on temporary road and ramp closures and work that impacts neighborhoods. Residents and property owners will be contacted directly about when to expect sound wall construction in their neighborhoods.

The Channel Street Skate Park will be closed from fall 2014 to fall 2015 to protect the public from heavy construction overhead. Prior to the closure, a new community skate park at San Pedro’s Peck Park is due to open.

Construction will limit street traffic along a half-mile stretch of John S. Gibson Boulevard to one lane in each direction for about six months beginning in fall 2015. Also that year, the John S. Gibson freeway on-ramp will close for about three months.

Utility relocation work began in late 2013 to prepare for construction.

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