$745 MILLION SOUGHT FOR PORT ROADS.

Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Long Beach officials faced a tough sell Friday as they pressed Congress to approve $745 million to upgrade the crumbing road network that serves the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The federal funding, payable in installments from 2004 to 2009 and matched by state and local money, would be used to replace the Gerald Desmond Bridge, an aging span linking the two ports. It would also be used to improve and possibly add an upper deck to the Long Beach Freeway - which handles much of the ports' freight - from the Harbor area to the Pomona Freeway interchange in East Los Angeles.

``Congress needs to understand that this is not just a local project, but a key issue need for the nation's economy,'' said Long Beach City Councilman Rob Webb. ``The bridge and the 710 carry 35 percent of the nation's imports and exports, including goods that are vital to businesses in every congressional district in the nation.''

Last year, the combined ports handled imports and exports worth an estimated $175 billion. The value and volume of cargo is expected to double by 2010.

An estimated 75 percent of truck traffic from both ports utilizes the 710 Freeway.

Aides to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and other lawmakers cautioned the Long Beach lobbyists that they face an uphill fight for their request, which would be the largest single item in a $175 billion transportation spending plan that Congress will take up early next year.

Transportation money has long been a source of pet pork-barrel projects for House and Senate members, and competition is fierce for outlays. Most of the money is raised through the federal tax on gasoline and other fuels.