The Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Envision: Using Key Project Innovations to Understand the Envision Framework

The purpose of this paper is to use the Envision framework to evaluate a portion of the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project (GDBRP), located in the Port of Long Beach (POLB), in order to test the applicability of Envision framework to similar projects around the world. Evaluation will focus on a portion of the western approach to the main span, proposed in the project reference documents as an elevated horse-shoe ramp but modified through value engineering to an undercrossing, using roadway geometry referred to as the Port Access Undercrossing (PAUC). Acknowledging that many infrastructure owners already have their own sustainability guidelines, this paper also examines synergies between Envision and the Port of Long Beach's own sustainability framework, the Green Port Policy (GPP). The Envision analysis confirms benefits across several different criteria introduced to the GDBRP by the application of the PAUC alternative. Comparison of the Envision analysis results to POLB objectives indicate that the Envision framework is well adapted to work within objectives of the POLB's GPP by providing tools to evaluate a wider range of assets.