ALAMEDA CORRIDOR MILESTONE CARGO LINE TO OPEN, LINKING PORTS TO RAIL YARDS.

Byline: Mark Edward Nero Staff Writer

One of the most massive Southern California transportation projects in decades, the $2.4 billion Alameda Corridor, will open today - a 20-mile rail expressway linking the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to rail yards near downtown.

Stretching through eight cities, the corridor is a series of bridges, underpasses, overpasses and street improvements that separate freight rail from passenger rail and street traffic.

It's designed to expedite the movement of long-haul container traffic into and out of the harbors, and reduce traffic congestion and noise and air pollution from idling vehicles.

``It tremendously relieves the basin of some serious traffic problems,'' said James Hankla, chief executive of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority.

``The main goal is to relieve the bottleneck of cargo at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.''

The centerpiece is a 33-foot-deep, 10-mile-long below-ground stretch of dual rail tracks.

Known as the Mid-Corridor Trench, the tracks run from the Artesia Freeway to the north edge of the city of Vernon, next to two rail yards.

Thirty bridges along the corridor route will carry street traffic over the trench.

Two other sections complete the rail system. The southern portion has starting points at the two ports and extends north to the Gardena Freeway. The northern portion extends from 25th Street in Los Angeles to the rail yards in East L.A., and will use overpasses and bridges to separate commuter rail, cargo rail and bus and automobile traffic.

The two rail yards, belonging to Union Pacific Railroad and Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, are business rivals, but came to an agreement to see the project move forward.

Cargo from the ports, after being delivered to the rail yards, will be placed on trucks for delivery across Southern California or in trains to other parts of the country.

The genesis of the project, one of the most expensive and ambitious public works ventures in the country, dates back nearly 30 years.

In 1989 the two competing cities and ports came together to design and build a rail cargo expressway. Construction began in April 1997.

Regular service along the line will begin Monday.

``It's going to be an exciting day,'' said Long Beach Councilman Frank Colonna, chairman of the governing board of the corridor project, said about the grand opening. ``It's a major, major event and a milestone.''

The ports collectively committed $400 million to project, and nearly half the project was funded through revenue bonds.

Other funds came from a variety of sources, including private donations and a $400 million state Department of Transportation loan.

The opening of the corridor isn't expected to reduce commercial truck traffic from the ports on the Long Beach Freeway, but it should reduce the percentage of growth, said a spokesman for the Alameda Corridor Engineering Team.

Officials trumpeted the fact that the Alameda Corridor was finished on time and within budget.

``The best part is that it's been on schedule, on time,'' Colonna said. ``We've set a standard, really.''