Issue link: https://pma.uberflip.com/i/277369
24 State-of-the Art Dispatch Hall Nearly Complete The 1940s-era dispatch hall built after World War II for ILWU Local 13 will soon have a modern and expanded replacement. Thanks to a $26 million investment by the PMA, the nine-acre dispatch hall site in Wilmington is set to open in 2014. Located a half-mile east of the existing hall, the two-story 33,000-square-foot building will nearly quadruple the current capacity to accommodate roughly 3,000 people. It is expected to achieve a LEED Gold environmental certifi- cation. Parking facilities will be more than tripled, and the hall will be equipped with state-of-the-art tech- nology to allow for effective and effi- cient daily dispatching of longshore workers. It will also be used for the ILWU's monthly meetings. Automated Terminals Move Forward In January, workers broke ground on the new TraPac container terminal at the Port of Los Angeles, which is set to be the West Coast's first com- pleted terminal automation project. The $510 million upgrade is composed of 10 projects, which together will expand the 173- acre terminal's wharves, modernize its main and secondary gates and improve 50 acres of backlands. The project also includes the construction of an automated intermodal container transfer facility, after which every terminal at the Port of Los Angeles will be fully equipped with on-dock rail. The project is scheduled for completion in 2014. The Long Beach Container Ter- minal project, also known as Middle Harbor, continued to make headway toward combining Piers E and F into one state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly terminal with a doubled cargo capacity. The nine-year, $1.31 billion project began in 2011, and will include updated container- handling equipment; ship-to-shore cranes; a larger on-dock rail yard; and upgraded wharves, water access and storage areas. When complete, it is anticipated that the new terminal will cut air emissions in half and greatly reduce traffic impacts, as a result of more efficient operations and equipment, as well as the expansion of on-dock rail. Deepening Channels, Raising Cranes and Building Bridges In 2013, the Port of Los Angeles completed its 10-year, $370 million Main Channel Deepening Project, lowering the port's main navigational channel and turning basins from 45 to 53-feet to handle the introduction of larger vessels. Meanwhile, at both Los Angeles and Long Beach, hun- dreds of cranes are being raised by as much as 30 feet each. These taller cranes will be able to work the latest generation of mega-ships, and can handle containers stacked nine high and 23 across. I nnovation and investment were the driving force in Southern California in 2013. A brand-new dispatch hall is nearly complete. Construction is now well underway on two state-of-the-art, automated terminals. And the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach invested more than $1 billion in 2013 to deepen channels, enhance terminals and improve rail infrastructure. Regional Developments: Southern California The new Southern California dispatch hall is set to open in 2014. 24 2 0 1 3 A N N U A L R E P O R T T H E Y E A R I N R E V I E W