For most drivers, a weekend freeway closure means detours, traffic delays, and finding another route. What they don't see is the work happening behind the barricades, where demolition crews have a limited window to tackle some of the most challenging parts of a major infrastructure project.
At the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, Penhall Company is performing bridge demolition work as part of the POLB Pier B Shoemaker Bridge project. Penhall's contracted scope includes the demolition of the existing 9th Street and 10th Street bridges, involving concrete removal, structural steel dismantling, and the removal of designated bridge supports.
The project includes three consecutive 55-hour weekend freeway closures for major demolition operations. Each closure provides an important opportunity for crews to carry out work that requires careful coordination, specialized equipment, and sufficient space away from regular traffic.
What Does It Take to Demolish a Bridge?
Bridge demolition involves much more than breaking apart concrete. A bridge is made up of several interconnected structural components, and removing them requires different equipment and demolition methods.
For the POLB Pier B Shoemaker Bridge project, Penhall's work includes removing concrete bridge decks, steel girders, designated portions of the bridge substructures, and existing retaining walls.
Removing the Concrete Bridge Decks
The bridge deck is the surface vehicles travel across. Removing it involves saw-cutting the concrete, breaking apart designated sections, and clearing the demolished material from the work area.
Saw-cutting creates defined cuts in the concrete, allowing sections to be separated before additional demolition equipment is used to break them apart and remove them.
This combination of concrete cutting and heavy demolition equipment is an important part of dismantling existing bridge structures.
Removing Structural Steel Girders
Beneath the concrete deck are steel girders, the large beams that help support the bridge and the weight of traffic traveling across it.
Unlike concrete, these structural steel components must be cut and lifted using equipment suited to handling heavy loads.
Penhall's scope includes supplying cranes and rigging equipment for the cutting and removal of the existing steel girders. Rigging involves securing and controlling heavy materials during lifting operations.
These activities require coordination between demolition crews, crane operators, and personnel responsible for handling the steel components.
Demolishing Bridge Supports and Retaining Walls
Penhall's work also extends below the bridge deck to designated portions of the supporting structures.
These components, known as substructures, include elements that support the bridge above. While certain portions are scheduled for demolition, specified piers must remain in place.
The scope also includes removing existing retaining walls and their concrete footings. Retaining walls help hold surrounding soil in place, while footings provide support at their base.
Working around structures that must remain adds another layer of planning to the demolition process. The objective is not simply to remove everything, but to remove the designated components while accounting for the surrounding infrastructure.
Why 55-Hour Freeway Closures Are So Important
A freeway closure lasting an entire weekend can be inconvenient for drivers, but these scheduled windows serve an important purpose.
For major bridge demolition operations, crews need room to position heavy equipment, move structural materials, and perform work that cannot safely take place alongside normal traffic.
The POLB Pier B Shoemaker Bridge demolition scope includes three consecutive 55-hour weekend closures, providing dedicated windows for major operations.
During these closures, activities involving cranes, excavators, demolition equipment, and material removal must be carefully coordinated.
With multiple operations taking place within a limited timeframe, planning becomes just as important as the demolition itself. Equipment needs to be positioned, work activities sequenced, and demolished materials handled without unnecessarily interfering with other operations.
Completing designated work within the available closure windows is important to keeping the broader project moving and helping roadways reopen as planned.
For the surrounding community, the detours may be the most noticeable part of the work. Behind the closures, however, crews are carrying out the activities necessary to support progress on major infrastructure improvements.
Working Around Existing Infrastructure
Another challenge of infrastructure demolition is that the surrounding area does not simply disappear when construction begins.
At the Port of Long Beach project, portions of Penhall's demolition work take place around existing infrastructure, including CRC piping and a bike path.
These conditions must be considered when positioning equipment, removing structural components, and managing demolition debris.
Certain existing bridge piers are also designated to remain in place, requiring crews to distinguish between the portions scheduled for removal and the structures that must be preserved.
This is an important part of structural demolition, particularly on large infrastructure projects where work often takes place within an active and complex surrounding environment.
What Happens to the Concrete After Demolition?
Breaking apart the concrete is only part of the job. Once material is removed from the bridge structures, it must also be processed and transported.
Penhall's scope includes breaking demolished concrete into pieces suitable for disposal at the Port of Long Beach rubble site.
Coordinating material processing and hauling with active demolition operations is especially important during scheduled freeway closures, when work areas and available time are limited.
Clearing demolished materials also creates space for subsequent activities as the project progresses.
A Look Behind the Barricades: September 2026
During the September 26, 2026 weekend freeway closure, Penhall documented demolition operations taking place at the project site.
The field photos offer a closer look at the work environment, heavy equipment, and scale of the bridge demolition activities happening behind the traffic detours.
These images capture one portion of an ongoing, multiphase project. Additional demolition activities are included in Penhall's broader contracted scope.
While most people experience a freeway closure from the other side of a detour sign, these photos provide a glimpse of the work taking place within the scheduled construction window.
Supporting Infrastructure Progress in Long Beach
Major infrastructure improvements often begin with the challenging work of removing what is already in place.
At the POLB Pier B Shoemaker Bridge project, Penhall's ongoing demolition work involves concrete cutting, structural steel removal, bridge substructure demolition, retaining wall removal, and concrete processing.
Each activity brings its own challenges, from handling heavy structural components to coordinating equipment within scheduled freeway closures and working around existing infrastructure.
As work continues across the project's demolition phases, Penhall's role is focused on carrying out its contracted removal scope in support of the larger infrastructure project.
For drivers, the weekend detours are temporary disruptions. Behind the barricades, they represent important opportunities for crews to perform the work that helps move infrastructure improvements forward.
Explore Penhall's Demolition and Concrete Cutting Services
From complex bridge demolition to precision concrete cutting, Penhall provides specialized solutions for infrastructure, commercial, and industrial projects across the country. Our teams bring the equipment, experience, and technical capabilities needed to tackle challenging demolition and concrete removal work.
Planning a project that requires structural demolition or specialized concrete cutting? Learn more about how Penhall can support your next project.
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