Commuter delays as Vincent Thomas Bridge connecting Long Beach to San Pedro begins 16-month closure

SAN PEDRO, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The closure of the Vincent Thomas Bridge is adding time to commutes and forcing drivers to seek alternate routes as a major reconstruction project gets underway.

The more than 60-year-old bridge, which connects San Pedro and Long Beach, closed over the weekend and is expected to remain shut down for the next 16 months.

The impact was felt Monday morning by workers who rely on the bridge to get around. At Big Nick's Pizza in San Pedro, some employees arrived later than usual because of longer travel times.

"I'd say some employees faced 20 to 30-minute longer routes, especially the early morning staff during that rush hour time. We'll see how it affects our delivery service because we do deliver into the port a lot, so that could slow us down a bit as well," a manager said.

Employee Joseph Camacho said his commute took significantly longer.

"It took me about an extra 15, 20 minutes to get here. Yeah, pretty terrible. (Traffic) was backed up all the way until -- all the way to John Gibson going to the Waterfront Bridge," said Camacho.

The bridge is a key transportation link and a major route for commercial trucking across the San Pedro Bay port complex. It carries State Route 47 between San Pedro and Terminal Island, home to several shipping terminals serving the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach.

According to Caltrans, the bridge's concrete roadway is deteriorating and requires a large-scale reconstruction project. The $750 million project includes replacing the entire bridge deck, modernizing bridge features and upgrading seismic sensors designed to monitor the structure during earthquakes.

For some commuters, the closure is creating concerns about the longer travel times required to reach destinations on the other side of the harbor.

"I'm worried about my sister. She goes to Cal State Long Beach, right? That's already a drive there. I can't imagine her having to go all the way around, and she's there all day," motorist Emmanuel Alvarez said.

Drivers are expected to continue using alternate routes while reconstruction work continues on the bridge through the next 16 months.