The Port of Los Angeles, the California State Transportation Agency and the California Department of Transportation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding launching a planning partnership to evaluate long-term options for replacing or modifying the Vincent Thomas Bridge. The agreement initiates what officials describe as a once-in-a-generation planning effort to strengthen safety, sustainability and freight mobility while ensuring the Port of Los Angeles remains competitive as global trade evolves. The MOU establishes a roadmap for the three parties to evaluate replacement or modification concepts through the Caltrans project development process, covering preliminary engineering, environmental studies and technical evaluation of potential alternatives. Subject to approval by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, the Port will contribute USD 5 million to fund this preliminary work. Completed in 1963, the Vincent Thomas Bridge connects San Pedro and Terminal Island while spanning the port’s main navigation channel. The bridge is currently undergoing a major redecking project to address maintenance and safety needs, but that work does not address the structure’s 185-foot vertical clearance, which prevents the newest generation of ultra-large container vessels from accessing terminals north of the bridge. Ships capable of carrying 22,000 to 24,000 TEUs currently cannot transit beneath the bridge, constraining approximately 40 percent of the port’s container terminal capacity. Increasing or eliminating the vertical clearance constraint would allow larger, cleaner and more fuel-efficient vessels, including those capable of operating on alternative fuels such as e-methanol, to access those terminals, advancing both competitiveness and sustainability objectives. Port Executive Director Gene Seroka described the bridge as a long-standing beacon of connection for the state and the port, framing the planning effort as a responsibility to ensure th