Posted on April 22, 2026
At times, cargo too big, too wide, too tall or too heavy to fit in a container comes through the Port of Long Beach. Occasionally, this cargo is all of the above.
The Port has a Heavy Haul Route – designated streets that accommodate oversized and overweight truckloads moving to and from the docks. In the coming months, the Port plans to break ground on a project that will widen and realign the primary corridor used by truckers hauling extra-large cargo through the Long Beach Harbor District, as well as everyone else moving goods through the San Pedro Bay ports complex.
“This infrastructure project will strengthen our ability to move transformers, heavy-duty construction equipment and other supersized cargo through our gateway,” said CEO Dr. Noel Hacegaba. “Like all our Port improvement projects, it will also increase the safety and flow of cargo for all our customers and our community.”
The Project
Following a competitive bidding process, the Port recently awarded Sully-Miller Contracting Co. a $5.5 million contract to improve the Heavy Haul Route so traffic can flow more easily and safely between Anaheim Street, a major artery connecting the ports complex to the rest of Long Beach and to the 710 Freeway. The work, which will smooth out sharp turns and widen narrow roadways, involves:
- Widening two intersections – Anaheim Way and Farragut Avenue, and Farragut Avenue and Anaheim Street – by more than 30 feet.
- Improving the stretch of Anaheim Way that will serve as the permanent Heavy Haul Route when the project is completed. This includes adding a median that eases the approach to and from Farragut Avenue and gives trucks more room to maneuver.
- Increasing the vertical and horizontal clearance of traffic signals at Farragut Avenue and Anaheim Street to minimize the need for temporarily removing them to accommodate taller, wider loads.
- Upgrading lighting, striping and landscaping.
- Installing fencing with controlled access to adjacent properties for future use.
Early on, Port engineers consulted trucking companies that specialize in hauling oversized loads to get their input on the project, said Port Program Manager Fred Patricio. “We reached out to those truckers during the design process to make sure the new corridor meets their current and future needs.”
Work to improve the Heavy Haul Route is expected to begin in May and be completed in early 2027, in coordination with Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility Program. The Port needs to finish the new corridor to advance key elements of the larger $1.8 billion rail facility. Among these is the Rail Yard East Expansion project, which is already under construction and will result in permanent closure of the 9th Street Crossing.
Used for decades by trucks hauling the biggest, heaviest oversized loads, the at-grade 9th Street Crossing has been closed to through traffic since 2019. The Port currently opens the gates to trucks whose cargo is so massive it exceeds the dimensions for using an alternate designated route for oversized loads. The new Heavy Haul Route is due to be completed more than a year before the 9th Street Crossing permanently closes in 2028.
Big Loads
Trucks wider than 8 feet 6 inches, longer than 65 feet, taller than 14 feet or with a gross vehicle weight of more than 80,000 pounds – or any combination of these with or without the cargo – qualify as a heavy haul. The category includes cargo that cannot be broken down into smaller pieces, known in the industry as “non-reducible.” Examples include cranes, excavators, oil field equipment, rocket components, large columns and piers used in construction and mammoth storage tanks.
Hauling oversized objects on any roadway requires at least one permit from the jurisdiction responsible for street maintenance along the route. More than likely, a permit is also needed from the City of Los Angeles because the Port of Long Beach Heavy Haul Route connects to Los Angeles city streets. Frequently, haulers need even more permits: one from the California Department of Transportation to use freeways and state highways, including the Vincent Thomas Bridge; another for each jurisdiction they enter, and more permits if signs and/or utilities have to be temporarily removed.
Sometimes, haulers take longer routes because they have to avoid freeways. “There are bridges over the 110 and 710 freeways that cannot handle loads 15 feet tall or higher,” said Ryan Wagstaff, a permit specialist for Rig Runner Inc. Based in Texas, the logistics and transportation company regularly works with customers moving cargo through the Port of Long Beach. Rig Runner specializes in hauling heavy equipment for aerospace, geothermal, government, and oil and gas among other major industries locally, regionally and nationwide.
The Permit Process
At a minimum, all intermodal containerized loads that weigh more than 80,000 pounds – capped at 95,000 pounds – traveling the Heavy Haul Route within the Port of Long Beach require an Overweight Special Vehicle Permit from the City of Long Beach Department of Public Works. In 2025, the City of Long Beach issued 353 annual permits, an average of nearly one per day for the year.
For loads that are oversized and/or weigh more than 95,000 pounds, haulers must get the permit from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. In 2025, the county issued a total of 9,806 permits for all single trips, annual trips and night moves through the City of Long Beach. The county does not break out moves specific to the port district.
The largest and heaviest loads moving through the Port today must use the 9th Street Crossing. This involves obtaining a permit directly from the Port, booking a time and a date to halt rail operations, open the gates, and ensure other arrangements if needed, such as flags and a police escort, are made.
In 2025, the Port issued 23 permits. For 2026, the total will be higher due in part to a single project in Texas for which 50 oversized components are coming through Long Beach, said Port Intermodal Operations Coordinator Kristy McFarland. “The improvements will eliminate a pinch point for trucks carrying over-dimensional loads along the existing route,” McFarland said. “But they will also benefit the entire Port community by creating a safer path for all trucks to moving in and out of the Port.”
The Heavy Haul Route Improvement Project is another example of the Port’s commitment to protecting people and property while keeping cargo moving, Hacegaba said. “From local residents to cargo owners to workers moving goods, every member of our Port community has a vested interest in the safe and efficient operations of our Port.”
