The first of 20 weekend closures on the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles Harbor are scheduled to begin next week as part of a $26-million seismic retrofitting project, Caltrans announced Tuesday.
Two westbound lanes and possibly one eastbound lane on the 34-year-old bridge are set to close from 8 p.m. May 29 until 5 a.m. June 1, Caltrans spokeswoman Patricia Reid said. Motorists are advised to use alternative routes while bridge lanes are closed.
The work began last April after engineering tests determined that seven of California's nine toll bridges needed seismic strengthening, Reid said.
Of the seven bridges included in the $2-billion statewide project, only two are located in Southern California, the Vincent Thomas Bridge and the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. The remaining five are located in the San Francisco Bay area.
Completion of the Vincent Thomas Bridge work is scheduled for March 1999.
