More than $127mln approved for Port of LA construction

The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved construction contracts totaling more than $127 million for two major projects that advance modernization of the marine container terminal operated by longtime tenant, TraPac, Inc.

With work due to begin in January, the projects are key elements of the Port of Los Angeles’ overall capital improvement program. The Port is investing more than $1.2 billion over five years to remain competitive in the global economy.

“Redevelopment of the TraPac terminal reflects the Port’s larger commitment to retaining its global position as America’s premier seaport,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. “It also reflects our commitment to job creation and sustainable growth as the pathway to long-term prosperity.”

Approved Nov. 1, both contracts were awarded to California construction firms. Combined, the projects will support nearly 1,000 one-year equivalent construction jobs over the next two and half years in the greater Los Angeles five-county region. Both winning bids also exceed requirements for participation of small and very small business suppliers and subcontractors.

The first contract, a $71.5 million project for new buildings and state-of-the-art truck entrance and exit gates at TraPac’s rear Berths 136-139, was awarded to Costa Mesa-based S. J. Amoroso Construction Co., Inc. The work includes a new administration building designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard, a new yard operations building, truck scales and a pedestrian bridge.

The facilities project, which also includes backland and other infrastructure improvements at Berths 145-147, will support approximately 540 direct one-year equivalent construction jobs. The work is due to be completed in the summer of 2015.

The second contract is a $55.7 million grade separation project awarded to Sacramento area-based MCM Construction, Inc. The South Wilmington Grade Separation involves building an elevated 4,100-foot roadway that links Harry Bridges Boulevard, Pier A Street and Fries Avenue to TraPac’s new entrance and separates truck from rail operations for safer and more efficient flow of traffic.

The large-scale grade separation project will support approximately 437 direct one-year equivalent construction jobs. The work is due to be completed in the spring of 2015.

Both projects are part of a $365 million expansion of the TraPac terminal due to be completed in 2016. In 2009, the Port, TraPac and its parent company, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), signed a 30-year lease that paved the way for the modernization project that will increase terminal productivity, green operations, and generate thousands of jobs throughout Southern  California.

The Port of Los Angeles touts itself as America’s premier port and with a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy as well as the quality of life for the region and the US. The port is the largest seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, and generates more than 830,000 regional jobs and $35 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. < Korea Shipping Gazette >