ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you’ve taken the on-ramp from Pico Avenue in the Port of Long Beach onto westbound Ocean Boulevard heading over the bridge, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the launch girders of the blue MSS (movable scaffolding system) positioned a mere 30 or so feet off the ground. The massive bridge builder has reached the final segment on the eastbound decline that it helped construct. Having already constructed the westbound incline, the completion of this last 250-foot stretch of roadway will mark the end of the blue MSS’s tenture on the Bridge Project.
The blue MSS first began work in April 2016 on the westbound incline. In December 2017, it completed its run on the approach and was lowered to the ground. In January 2018, it was spun around (see the video here) and lifted onto the eastbound columns. The large machine then began its downward path toward Pico to where it is today. All together, the blue MSS will have built 1,720 feet of the westbound incline, then another 1,600 feet of the eastbound decline.
In the coming weeks, the blue MSS will finish its last segment, then back up one road segment to where it will be “parked.” There, it will wait for a few months until the orange MSS on the Terminal Island side completes its work. Then, both bridge-builders will be lowered and dismantled. So, if anyone knows of another bridge project that calls for road construction at heights of 150 feet or higher and has road segments that are approximately 250 feet in length, have we got a deal for you.