No pics from me on this one yet, as gas still costs too much.
The new I-10 Twin Spans are slated to be opened completely on Friday, September 9. Mark that day in your calendars - that's the day six lanes are open continuously across the lake.
It's long overdue.
Showing posts with label bridge repair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bridge repair. Show all posts
07 September 2011
13 February 2009
One step closer to a wider LA 21.
Wider Louisiana 21, bridge getting closer
About time we got back to roads around here, eh? The scope of the project is as follows: Two two-lane carriageways (four lanes total) with a 24-foot wide median, six-foot wide sidewalks along two new two-lane bridges across the Tchefuncte, a six-foot wide sidewalk along the northbound side, and full shoulders on both carriageways. This will be between LA 1085 (Bootlegger Road) and 11th Street in Covington.
Now, it's nice and all. That part of LA 21 has suffered over the years from overdevelopment and the traffic that follows. The shoulders are a definite plus - that stretch used to have them, except for the bridge, but the three-laning last decade eliminated those. The sad fact is that four lanes won't be enough, by a longshot. Six will be needed for traffic to even resemble decent flow.
This is another example of development exceeding the fixes. Someone around here seriously needs to rethink this thing.
About time we got back to roads around here, eh? The scope of the project is as follows: Two two-lane carriageways (four lanes total) with a 24-foot wide median, six-foot wide sidewalks along two new two-lane bridges across the Tchefuncte, a six-foot wide sidewalk along the northbound side, and full shoulders on both carriageways. This will be between LA 1085 (Bootlegger Road) and 11th Street in Covington.
Now, it's nice and all. That part of LA 21 has suffered over the years from overdevelopment and the traffic that follows. The shoulders are a definite plus - that stretch used to have them, except for the bridge, but the three-laning last decade eliminated those. The sad fact is that four lanes won't be enough, by a longshot. Six will be needed for traffic to even resemble decent flow.
This is another example of development exceeding the fixes. Someone around here seriously needs to rethink this thing.
13 August 2008
Lane closures announced in relation to Huey Long Bridge widening
Times-Picayune - Huey Long bridge work to bring long-term lane closures
TIMED overview and information on this project
View Larger Map
Here's the gist of it. The right lanes of the bridge will see closure for as long as 60 days in the foreseeable future due to a widening project. There will be tow trucks stationed on the bridge in case of breakdowns. If an emergency requiring evacuation occurs (such as a hurricane), the barriers closing off the right lane can be removed within 48 hours. The speed limit will be 35mph along the bridge while these closures are in effect.
They're pulling out all the stops on this one. Got to admire that.
Work needs to be done badly on this bridge, though. It's narrow, and it's a little flimsy. It's a tough old bridge, don't get me wrong, but its design is way out of date, especially for a main artery. The work (a TIMED project) will likely modernize it.
In the meantime, plan an alternate route until they get these closures out of the way. I-310 and Business US 90 (I-910/Future I-49) utilize the closest bridges.
TIMED overview and information on this project
View Larger Map
Here's the gist of it. The right lanes of the bridge will see closure for as long as 60 days in the foreseeable future due to a widening project. There will be tow trucks stationed on the bridge in case of breakdowns. If an emergency requiring evacuation occurs (such as a hurricane), the barriers closing off the right lane can be removed within 48 hours. The speed limit will be 35mph along the bridge while these closures are in effect.
They're pulling out all the stops on this one. Got to admire that.
Work needs to be done badly on this bridge, though. It's narrow, and it's a little flimsy. It's a tough old bridge, don't get me wrong, but its design is way out of date, especially for a main artery. The work (a TIMED project) will likely modernize it.
In the meantime, plan an alternate route until they get these closures out of the way. I-310 and Business US 90 (I-910/Future I-49) utilize the closest bridges.
20 June 2008
New Orleans: Takes a cop's death to fix a broken drawbridge...
WWL-AM/FM (New Orleans, LA): Malfunctioning safety barrier to be replaced at Claiborne Bridge
This is the same bridge where, last month, a NOPD officer drove off into the water when a barrier failed to lower into place. Apparently the project was in the works already, but the death of one of NOLA's Finest caused things to get fast-tracked. It's just another example of Business As Usual as far as any sort of improvements or repairs go on the roads of Southern Louisiana... somebody has to die before they'll fix a drawbridge, put up a stop sign/traffic light, or build an alternate to a shoddy primary route. And if it's someone important like a cop or some yuppie, they'll go out of their way to do it yesterday.
It's always the same when it comes to public works around here, no matter the parish. I'll spare you the stories of the four-way intersection where my aunt totaled several luxury cars, or the "T" intersection of two highways, governed only by a stop sine for the terminating highway, that was one of my drug-addict cousin's favorite launching pads. Today the four-way is a four-way stop (with table-sized stop sines in all directions) and the "T" intersection has a stoplight. It took someone important dying at both of those intersections for something to be done at either one. Seems like LaDOTD can't be proactive even to save someone's life around here.
The Claiborne Bridge is just another case of this. It's been in disrepair for over a decade, and the only thing that was done was limiting the amount the state could be sued for over a broken safety device on a road, such as a drawbridge barrier. Go figure. Yeah, that really helps matters. What they should have done in the first place was fix it instead of legislatively saving their asses. Maybe then they wouldn't get sued!
This is the same bridge where, last month, a NOPD officer drove off into the water when a barrier failed to lower into place. Apparently the project was in the works already, but the death of one of NOLA's Finest caused things to get fast-tracked. It's just another example of Business As Usual as far as any sort of improvements or repairs go on the roads of Southern Louisiana... somebody has to die before they'll fix a drawbridge, put up a stop sign/traffic light, or build an alternate to a shoddy primary route. And if it's someone important like a cop or some yuppie, they'll go out of their way to do it yesterday.
It's always the same when it comes to public works around here, no matter the parish. I'll spare you the stories of the four-way intersection where my aunt totaled several luxury cars, or the "T" intersection of two highways, governed only by a stop sine for the terminating highway, that was one of my drug-addict cousin's favorite launching pads. Today the four-way is a four-way stop (with table-sized stop sines in all directions) and the "T" intersection has a stoplight. It took someone important dying at both of those intersections for something to be done at either one. Seems like LaDOTD can't be proactive even to save someone's life around here.
The Claiborne Bridge is just another case of this. It's been in disrepair for over a decade, and the only thing that was done was limiting the amount the state could be sued for over a broken safety device on a road, such as a drawbridge barrier. Go figure. Yeah, that really helps matters. What they should have done in the first place was fix it instead of legislatively saving their asses. Maybe then they wouldn't get sued!
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