AASHTO Journal, 23 May 2014
Last Saturday, May 17, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development reopened a vital bridge for Iberville Parish residents a month and a half ahead of schedule, allowing citizens to get back to their driving routines sooner than expected.
The La. 77 bridge over the Intracoastal Canal closed to traffic at the end of February after experiencing severe damage from a barge strike. Needing to get the bridge back up and running for the roughly 1,400 drivers who use the bridge each day, DOTD worked up an emergency contract with C.E.C. Contractors to fix the bridge. Work began on the $900,0000 in repairs on March 12, and was scheduled to be completed in late June. In the meantime, DOTD, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Iberville Parish partnered to get people over the canal via pontoon boat—a service that attracted 15,000 people during the bridge closure.
In working together through that partnership, DOTD was able to reopen the roadway 45 days ahead of schedule, allowing not just people but their vehicles across the Intracoastal Canal once again.
“I am pleased that we are reopening this important bridge to traffic much earlier than expected,” DOTD Secretary Sherri LeBas said in a statement. “I’d like to thank the contractor, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Iberville Parish officials for working with DOTD over the past few months to minimize the impacts this bridge closure had on local residents.”
