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    Long Beach Bridges, Long Beach/San Pedro, CA - Image 1

    Description

    This is a package of hand-modeled recreations of the major bridges in and around the area of the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, replacing the native photogrammetry which is both rather ugly and out of date. These bridges carry major arterial routes, railroad lines, and freeways over various shipping channels and the Los Angeles River.

    This addon is meant as a companion/supplement to FreakyD's excellent San Pedro Bay Port Facilities package, also available on flightsim.to; previously his package included renditions of the Vincent Thomas and Gerald Desmond bridges, but he's graciously made our two scenery packages compatible by removing his older bridge models in favor of mine (as of the version 3.0 update). That package is not required for this one to show up correctly, but his excellent modeling work on the ships, cranes, and other port objects and landmarks is a real boost to this area (and to several other container ports that he's made similar packages for); I cannot recommend them enough.

    Crossings Included

    • Long Beach International Gateway Bridge (new cable-stayed bridge completed in 2020; replaced the aging Gerald Desmond Bridge)
    • Vincent Thomas Bridge (suspension bridge featured in many movies and TV shows)
    • Queensway Twin Bridges (connects Downtown Long Beach with the Queen Mary ship)
    • Commodore Schuyler F. Heim Bridge (new concrete bridge replaced old lift bridge, also completed in 2020)
    • Henry Ford Bridge (rail lift bridge adjacent to Heim Bridge) and connected rail viaduct
    • Shoemaker Bridge
    • Ocean Dr. Bridge
    • Anaheim St. Bridge
    • Various attached approach ramps and interchanges, pipeways

    I'm hoping to continue to update this package in the future to add more of the outlying area bridges, perhaps taking the coverage as far north as the 405 freeway.

    Features

    • Detailed hand-modeled recreations of the above-listed bridges, with accurate road striping and lighting.
    • PBR materials used for most non-painted surfaces.
    • LOD models tuned to balance appearance and performance.
    • Special custom decorative lighting for Queensway and Vincent Thomas Bridge
    • User-selectable decorative lighting for the Long Beach International Gateway (see below)
    • Collision meshes included for at least the main spans of most roadway bridges (note that MSFS is limited to a certain mesh size for collision boxes, so some simplification/exclusion was necessary)
    • POI/Landmark markers
    • Some terraforming and vegetation tweaks around the bridge ends, and some water corrections as necessary. Please note that if you have photogrammetry turned on, there is some unavoidable weirdness at the bridge ends where the terrain might not fully conform to the placed terraforming polygons.

    Compatible (and potentially visible in screenshots)

    Long Beach Airport by FreakyD
    San Pedro Bay Port Facilities by FreakyD (3.0 and later)

    Other addons may also be compatible, but I haven't checked them.

    Known Issues/Limitations

    • The native photogrammetry predates the construction of some bridges in this package, so the ground image doesn't match. Ground imagery cannot be updated for photogrammetry areas.
    • No traffic on LB International Gateway bridge; some minor traffic weirdness on the Vincent Thomas Bridge due to a slight misalignment of the road traffic data with the ground imagery.

    Installation

    • Download the ZIP file and extract the "whitearcades-longbeachbridges" folder to your Community folder:

    For the Microsoft Store version: C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_\LocalCache\Packages\Community
    For the Steam version: C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator\Packages\Community

    Remember to delete all previous versions of the above-listed bridges that may already be in your Community folder. Package takes up approximately 160 MB installed.

    If you want to add one of the optional bridge pier lighting packages for the Long Beach International Gateway, copy its associated folder from "Bridge Lighting Packages" to your Community folder (see included screenshots). These schemes are loosely based on actual lighting schemes used by the Port Of Long Beach to illuminate the International Gateway bridge seasonally:

    "whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-default" - default Port of Long Beach colors (teal, blue, white)
    "whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-patriotic" - red, white, blue
    "whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-pride" - pride month colors
    "whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-christmas" - red and green
    "whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-hanukkah" - white and dark blue
    "whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-stpats" - green and gold
    "whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-blackhistory" - red, green, dark gray
    "whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-lakers" - purple and gold (LA Lakers colors)
    "whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-dodgers" - white and blue (LA Dodgers colors)
    "whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-rams" - blue and gold (LA Rams colors)

    Preview screenshots of each scheme are also included in the folder. If there is demand, I may add more bridge color schemes in the future by request. 

    How To Donate

    If you enjoy this addon or my other scenery addons, please consider using the PayPal link on my profile page at flightsim.to to donate. I make scenery addons for fun, not specifically looking to monetize my work, but keep in mind that putting these sceneries together requires a significant investment of time, effort, and research, and every bit helps.

     
    Other Scenery By Me
    (all available on flightsim.to)

    Downtown Los Angeles Bridges
    Bay Area Bridges (bundle)
    Coronado Bridge (and other San Diego area bridges)
    Balboa Park (San Diego) vegetation overhaul
    Ambassador Bridge

    Carowinds
    Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
    Knott's Berry Farm
    Six Flags Magic Mountain
    Cedar Point
    Kings Island
    Six Flags Over Texas
    Busch Gardens Williamsburg

    Globe Life Park (new Texas Rangers ballpark)

    Comments(13)

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    6 months ago

    Any chance this would work on 2024?

    6 months ago

    I have been meaning to go through this and compile a 2024-specific version of the scenery (along with some other older projects), but based on how other sceneries of mine have transferred over I would guess it will probably generally work with the exception of night lighting.

    about 1 year ago

    A recompile using the latest 2020 SDK would be great!

    over 1 year ago

    would love a MSFS 2024 update

    over 1 year ago

    Thank you White Arcades for replying to me, regarding the Bay Area Bridges. I'm glad that that's what you intended, and look forward to your extended payware releases.

    over 1 year ago

    Mr. White Arcades,
    I just wanted to let you know, that when I do a general search for "Bay Area Bridges", in the "Bridges" section of the website, that bridge pack does not come up. Your work is excellent and I'm concerned you're not getting the exposure you deserve.

    On another subject, would you consider making a rendition of the Rio Vista Bridge (north of the Antioch Bridge)? I know this is the wrong subject area to be leaving these comments, but I can't find your other bridges. Thank you.

    over 1 year ago

    Hi b3burner,

    Thanks for relaying your concern. I'm actually working on expanding/improving the Bay Area Bridges package into a payware scenery; don't have a release date for that quite yet, as life and work have been kind of nuts of late, but in preparation for the eventual release I have deactivated the old freeware (same for the San Diego and Downtown LA packages, which will follow the San Francisco ones into payware). They'll still show up with a link, but the download button is turned off.

    It might be that the search function suppresses scenery packs that aren't being made available for download, but in this case that's in line with what I intended anyway.

    almost 2 years ago

    Many thanks from Warstein in Germany that you very well-improved these both Bridges :-)

    almost 2 years ago

    Hi. If I want the default color scheme of the LB bridge I still need to copy the whitearcades-lbgatewaylights-default folder to my community folder right? No matter the color I always will have 2 separate folders in community folder of this mod of yours. One for bridges and one for the color scheme. Thx.

    almost 2 years ago

    That's correct. I realize it's a little clunky, but I don't have a way of removing lights in the sim once they're a part of the model. People have previously requested customizable lights for my other bridges and this is the easiest way to make that work.

    almost 2 years ago

    Look great... I updated my port scenery to integrate with these new bridges.

    almost 2 years ago

    Thanks so much FreakyD! You've given my work here the best possible backdrop.

    almost 2 years ago

    Looks awesome! Thanks
    MSFS 2020MSFS 2024

    Long Beach Bridges, Long Beach/San Pedro, CA

    Hand-crafted recreations of major bridges in Long Beach Port area, replacing native photogrammetry for improved visuals. Includes iconic bridges like Vincent Thomas Bridge, Long Beach Int'l Gateway, and Queensway Twin Bridges, and more. Features accurate custom lighting and road striping.

    Downloads2K
    Version1.0
    File Size96.83 MB
    Published1 year ago
    Updated1 year ago

    Supporters

    User Reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

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    More Information

    Simulator
    MSFS2020
    Sub-CategoryBridges
    ICAONULL

    Version History

    No version history available.

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