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Los Angeles harbor bridge redecking project to begin in early 2026

By Bill Mongelluzzo

California Department of Transportation( Caltrans) to complete the necessary structural and safety repairs.

In a statement to the Journal of Commerce regarding the possibility of raising the height of the Vincent Thomas Bridge, CalSTA said it“ welcomes continued discussions to a path forward for that possibility while we work to make sure the bridge is structurally sound and safe for the motoring public in the meantime.”

The redecking of the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles harbor will start early next year as planned, while an effort by the port and terminal operators to raise the clearance of the span to facilitate the passage of super post-Panamax container ships is looking unlikely in the short term.

The California State Transportation Agency( CalSTA) told port stakeholders in October that it is paramount that redecking work begin soon on the 63-year-old bridge before any attempt is made to raise the height of the structure, according to Mike Jacob, president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association( PMSA).

Jacob said PMSA, which represents shipping lines and terminal operators, is onboard with the agency in this matter.

“ The funding is there [ for the redecking ],” he said.“ The engineering is done. It received environmental clearance.”

CalSTA, the cabinet-level agency that oversees transportation-related departments, said the state has access to hundreds of millions in federal funds for the

“ The funding is there. The engineering is done. It received environmental clearance.”

Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said the current limit on vessels passing under the structure is 15,000 TEUs in capacity. Increasing the clearance from 185 feet to 211 feet will allow up to 23,000-TEU vessels to reach the three terminals on the land side of the bridge: Yusen Terminals, TraPac and West Basin. There are six container terminals in total in Los Angeles. Minimizing disruption

The Vincent Thomas Bridge, located at the entry to Los Angeles harbor, handles 53,000 vehicles a day, including about 3,400 heavy-duty trucks, according to Caltrans.

Panama’ s bicoastal port project attracts interest from 22 carriers, operators

By Keith Wallis

Proposed terminals in Colon and Corozal would add to the existing Balboa and Cristobal facilities( pictured). ambient _ pix / Shutterstock. com

CMA CGM, Cosco Shipping, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, DP World and Singapore’ s PSA International are among 22 carriers and terminal operators that have expressed interest in developing two container terminals on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the Panama Canal.

The Panama Canal Authority( ACP) confirmed in a statement in late October that executives from the interested parties attended a briefing to discuss the $ 2.6 billion project, although it did not say when the event took place.

The meeting kicked off what ACP said will likely be a year-long process to select developers to design, build and operate the two terminals at Corozal on the Pacific side of the canal and Colón on the Atlantic.

Explaining the next steps, the ACP said market and feasibility studies will be done for both terminals, followed by the development of a project plan. That will start the competitive bid process that will see companies invited to pre-qualify to bid for each terminal. Those selected to bid will hold talks with ACP as part

16 Journal of Commerce | December 1, 2025 www. joc. com