The Port of Long Beach has moved ahead with plans to upgrade its Heavy Haul Route, a key inland corridor used to move oversized and overweight cargo between terminal areas, regional road networks and the wider San Pedro Bay port complex.
The route handles cargo that falls outside standard container dimensions, including industrial transformers, construction machinery, oilfield equipment, rocket components and large structural units that cannot be broken down for transport.
These shipments regularly exceed 80,000 pounds and may be wider than 8.5 feet, longer than 65 feet or taller than 14 feet.
A $5.5 million contract has been awarded to Sully-Miller Contracting Co. to widen and realign sections of Anaheim Way and surrounding intersections.
The works include widening two key junctions by more than 30 feet, improving turning radii, and redesigning approach lanes to support heavy and oversized loads moving between the port and the 710 Freeway corridor.
The project will also raise vertical and horizontal clearances at key traffic signals, upgrade lighting and road markings, and introduce controlled-access fencing along adjacent properties. Work is scheduled to begin in May and complete in early 2027.
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The Heavy Haul Route is also being integrated into wider infrastructure changes linked to the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility programme, a $1.8 billion project that includes the Rail Yard East Expansion.
That development will ultimately lead to the permanent closure of the 9th Street Crossing in 2028, which is currently used for the largest oversized shipments requiring direct port-managed rail stoppages and escorts.
Today, only a limited number of moves still require access through that crossing. In 2025, the port issued 23 permits for such operations, a figure expected to rise in 2026 due to a single large project involving 50 oversized components moving through Long Beach.
Trucks using the Heavy Haul Route typically require multiple permits depending on cargo dimensions and routing, including approvals from the City of Long Beach, Los Angeles County, and in some cases the California Department of Transportation, particularly when freeways or bridges are involved.
Alternative routing is often required due to height restrictions on infrastructure across the region.
Industry operators note that oversized cargo logistics can involve complex coordination across multiple jurisdictions, especially where routes intersect urban road networks and rail infrastructure.
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The corridor redesign follows consultation with heavy haul operators to align infrastructure with current and future transport requirements.
According to the port, the objective is to reduce bottlenecks, improve manoeuvring space, and support safer movement of non-reducible cargo through the port district.
Once completed, the upgraded Heavy Haul Route will replace reliance on older crossings and is expected to improve overall traffic flow for all freight moving in and out of the port, particularly as container volumes and project cargo demand continue to evolve.
For more information:
Port of Long Beach – https://polb.com/
