Portside Rajeev Seetharam

Every project undertaken by the Port of Long Beach has a traffic element. From signage to road detours, port Senior Traffic Engineer Rajeev Seetharam and his small team are involved in everything. “We have to make sure traffic is flowing all the time,” Seetharam said. “We can’t afford to have any kind of delay . . . with billions of dollars worth of cargo at stake.” The front line of traffic control within the port complex is signage. Roadways throughout the port are open to the public, Seetharam explained, making signage denoting restricted areas, as well as signage to navigate winding detours through various construction zones, crucial. “We want to make sure that there are no lost drivers . . . and that everybody gets around the port safely,” he said, noting that his team often collaborates with other entities, such as CalTrans, the City of Long Beach and rail operators, to accomplish its goals. Prior to his work with the port, Seetharam spent about two years in Long Beach’s Public Works Department leading neighborhood traffic management. Before working for the city, Seetharam worked as a consultant in the private sector for eight years, followed by a four-year stint with the Southern California Association of Governments. Seetharam said his favorite aspect of working for the port is the sense of ownership with his projects. “Any project that I do, I can see the results right away,” he said. “If I put in a . . . traffic improvement, I can see it functioning and say, ‘Hey, I did this thing. It’s working.’” (Photograph by Brandon Richardson)

Brandon Richardson is a reporter and photojournalist for the Long Beach Post and Long Beach Business Journal.