To the editor: It will be helpful for all involved to notice that there are a lot of bridges accessing Terminal Island and the Los Angeles/Lengthy Seashore harbors (“A bridge too far? Vincent Thomas plans put Port of L.A. at odds with locals,” Sept. 20).
It will even be helpful to notice that the purpose of bridge development on the harbor is to maneuver containers to and from their ships. Of their collective knowledge, the Los Angeles/Lengthy Seashore harbor departments, Los Angeles County and the railroads constructed a freeway for containers, recognized at present because the Alameda Hall. This rail channel, parallel to the 710 Freeway, provides nonstop, no-grade crossing entry to and from the harbor. Coupled with the large enhancements to rail and vehicular visitors movement on Terminal Island, the presently underutilized Alameda Hall can expedite container visitors whereas lowering the air pollution plaguing the harbor space.
Stevedoring and trucking pursuits, nonetheless, have the ear of metropolis corridor, shaping necessary financial selections of their favor regardless of the voters’ needs. We supported the Alameda Hall with our tax {dollars} with the hope that it could scale back freeway and bridge visitors. As a substitute, we see hand-wringing uptown and wild schemes that can price much more cash (yours and mine).
The Vincent Thomas Bridge just isn’t “very important.” It must be stored in good condition — and even raised in the long term — however separate that situation from the political actions obligatory to really resolve the harbors’ issues. The instruments are already there.
Joe Strapac, Bellflower
