Foundation begun on Long Beach's new Gerald Desmond Bridge

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- In Long Beach, people are celebrating the birth of a city landmark: the new Gerald Desmond Bridge. The Port of Long Beach, Caltrans, contractors and city leaders celebrated a big step in the $1.3 billion Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement project at a news conference Wednesday.

The bigger and taller bridge will replace its aging counterpart, and will better accommodate the nearly 15 percent of the county's cargo that crosses under the bridge and into the port every day.

The new bridge will be one of the tallest cable-stayed bridges in the country, the first of its kind in California for vehicles. It features six lanes, emergency shoulders and pedestrian and bicycle lanes.

Construction crews put tall rebar cages in place on Wednesday, preparing to drop them in the ground, the first step in a new foundation.

"We always say, You can't build a bridge unless you get out of the ground. We have about 350 shafts to do," said project manager Bob Schraeder. "The bridge will be up 205 feet above the water. Also, the new ships can come in and out, so that's exciting."

The towers on the bridge will eventually rise 50 stories above the harbor. City leaders say it will completely change the skyline in Long Beach.

"It'll be so tall, over 500 feet tall, that you'll be able to see it all the way around the area. It'll be taller than our trade center here, so it's a big, big deal," said Jon Slangerup, chief executive officer of the Port of Long Beach.

The bridge's two towers will each reach 515 feet. Contractors say the bridge is built to last 100 years and its construction is generating 3,000 jobs.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia says when it's finished, it will be the new icon of the city.

"It'll change the way we view Long Beach, it will change the way goods are moved through this entire community, and that's something we should all be very, very proud of," said Garcia.

Contractors say they hope to complete construction by the end of 2017. After the new bridge opens, it will take another year to demolish the old one.