Heavy Haul Route Improvement Project in Port News 22/04/2026 At times, cargo too big, too wide, too tall or too heavy to fit in a container comes through the Port of Long Beach. Occasionally, this cargo is all of the above. The Port has a Heavy Haul Route – designated streets that accommodate oversized and overweight truckloads moving to and from the docks. In the coming months, the Port plans to break ground on a project that will widen and realign the primary corridor used by truckers hauling extra-large cargo through the Long Beach Harbor District, as well as everyone else moving goods through the San Pedro Bay ports complex. “This infrastructure project will strengthen our ability to move transformers, heavy-duty construction equipment and other supersized cargo through our gateway,” said CEO Dr. Noel Hacegaba. “Like all our Port improvement projects, it will also increase the safety and flow of cargo for all our customers and our community.” The Project Following a competitive bidding process, the Port recently awarded Sully-Miller Contracting Co. a $5.5 million contract to improve the Heavy Haul Route so traffic can flow more easily and safely between Anaheim Street, a major artery connecting the ports complex to the rest of Long Beach and to the 710 Freeway. The work, which will smooth out sharp turns and widen narrow roadways, involves: Widening two intersections – Anaheim Way and Farragut Avenue, and Farragut Avenue and Anaheim Street – by more than 30 feet. Improving the stretch of Anaheim Way that will serve as the permanent Heavy Haul Route when the project is completed. This includes adding a median that eases the approach to and from Farragut Avenue and gives trucks more room to maneuver. Increasing the vertical and horizontal clearance of traffic signals at Farragut Avenue and Anaheim Street to minimize the need for temporarily removing them to accommodate taller, wider loads. Upgrading lighting, striping and landscaping. Installing fencing with controlled access to adjacent properties for future use. Early on, Port engineers consulted trucking companies that specialize in hauling oversized loads to get their input on the project, said Port Program Manager Fred Patricio. “We reached out to those truckers during the design process to make sure the new corridor meets their current and future needs.” Work to improve the Heavy Haul Route is expected to begin in May and be completed in early 2027, in coordination with Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility Program. The Port needs to finish the new corridor to advance key elements of the larger $1.8 billion rail facility. Among these is the Rail Yard East Expansion project, which is already under construction and will result in permanent closure of the 9th Street Crossing. Used for decades by trucks hauling the biggest, heaviest oversized loads, the at-grade 9th Street Crossing has been closed to through traffic since 2019. The Port currently opens the gates to trucks whose cargo is so massive it exceeds the dimensions for using an alternate designated route for oversized loads. The new Heavy Haul Route is due to be completed more than a year before the 9th Street Crossing permanently closes in 2028. Big Loads Trucks wider than 8 feet 6 inches, longer than 65 feet, taller than 14 feet or with a gross vehicle weight of more than 80,000 pounds – or any combination of these with or without the cargo – qualify as a heavy haul. The category includes cargo that cannot be broken down in