The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a suspension bridge near Long Beach, California. This bridge was constructed in 1963 and needed a seismic retrofit following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. As part of the retrofit solution, 40 dampers were used to provide energy dissipation and control displacement during an earthquake. The FVDs were equipped with friction collars which prevent low level vibrations caused by traffic from stroking the dampers which could lead to excessive wear on the damper structural seals.