Alameda Corridor’s Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Bridge Dedicated in Lynwood
JANUARY 15, 2001
LOS ANGELES COUNTY – Noting the benefits to traffic circulation and economic development, officials from the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) and the City of Lynwood on Monday dedicated the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Bridge.
With the cutting of a ribbon during a brief ceremony on the bridge, officials used Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to commemorate completion of the span. ACTA is building 27 bridges to carry street traffic over the Mid-Corridor Trench at existing Alameda Street crossings, and two completely new east-west crossings.
“The Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Bridge, together with other new grade-separated crossings and improvements to Alameda Street, are critically important to the continued economic health of Lynwood,” Mayor Paul H. Richards II said. “These improvements will enhance the flow of traffic in our community, representing a major benefit of the Alameda Corridor project.”
Added ACTA Chief Executive Officer James C. Hankla: “Not only does completion of this bridge provide a tangible benefit to the City of Lynwood and its residents and businesses, it also demonstrates continued progress toward the on-time, on-budget opening of the entire project in April 2002.”
ACTA, a partnership between the cities and ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, is building a 20-mile rail cargo expressway between the ports and the transcontinental rail yards near downtown Los Angeles. The project will improve the flow of goods through the ports and reduce traffic congestion by consolidating rail lines and eliminating traffic conflicts at more than 200 street-level railroad crossings.
The Mid-Corridor Trench will be approximately 10 miles long, three stories deep and 50 feet wide along Alameda Street between State Route 91 in Compton and 25th Street in Los Angeles. The Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Bridge was built as part of the $712 million contract for the Mid-Corridor Trench. It is currently open to traffic.
Three other bridges over the trench in Lynwood have been completed and opened to traffic at Imperial Highway, Lynwood Road and Santa Ana Boulevard. ACTA has completed 21 of 29 bridges over the Mid-Corridor Trench.
Construction of the entire $2.4 billion Alameda Corridor project began in 1997 and is on schedule for completion in April 2002. Work is under way at multiple locations up and down the 20-mile route. More than six miles of the trench have been excavated to date.