Community Collaboration to Solve Design Challenges

Abstract

The Port of Los Angeles is flanked by the communities of San Pedro and Wilmington. Port infrastructure improvements, especially projects located on the outskirts of the Port often require close collaboration and coordination with the community stakeholders. As such, community buy-in is key to the success of projects. This was the case for the Port of Los Angeles’ John S. Gibson Boulevard/I-110 Freeway Access Ramp Improvements and SR-47/I-110 Northbound Connector Widening Project. This project improves a key interchange that is utilized by port trucks, community, and motorizing public. It widens the interchange by adding one lane to separate slow moving trucks from faster moving automobiles. The project also improves a freeway on-ramp to improve truck access onto the freeway. A majority of the project involves modification to State of California (Caltrans) and City of Los Angeles infrastructure. This paper presents the methodology and process on how the Port collaborated with the community in developing this project while satisfying both Caltrans and City of Los Angeles requirements in order to modify their facilities and ultimately build a project that benefits Port area users. The involvement of community members and stakeholders was crucial to the planning, development and eventual success of the project. This began as early as when the need for an improvement was identified and continued throughout the development, design, and construction of the project. Community and stakeholder involvement influenced the design of a freeway overpass in order to accommodate an existing skate park and was important during the process involved for the unanticipated inclusion of more than 5,000 feet of soundwalls as part of the project scope.