Vincent Thomas Bridge closes for 16 months on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know – Los Angeles Times

Vincent Thomas Bridge closes for 16 months on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know  Los Angeles Times

For the next 16 months, motorists will have to seek alternative routes to the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which is slated to close for construction. The emerald green bridge is a major thoroughfare connecting San Pedro to Terminal Island, home to both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. The closure, which begins Saturday, has been years in the making and included impact-mitigation meetings among California Department of Transportation officials, neighboring communities, shipping companies, labor unions and the contractor. Officials said lane closures leading up to the shutdown would begin late Friday. Here's what you need to know about navigating the shutdown. The Vincent Thomas Bridge opened in 1963.

The bridge runs along State Route 47 between Interstate 110 and Terminal Island. The island connects on its east end to Long Beach via the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge. It is structurally sound, but the bridge deck is deteriorating rapidly, according to Caltrans officials. The deterioration "is due to concrete fatigue caused by heavy traffic loading, as well as environmental deterioration due to age and the marine environment," according to the Caltrans project website. Officials plan to rehabilitate the bridge by replacing the entire deck and its seismic sensors. The project also includes replacing the bridge railings, fences and median barrier. Ramp and lane closures are scheduled