LA 30 (Nicholson Drive) bridge south of Brightside reopens ahead of schedule
Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at 1:58:13 PM
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced today that the bridge on LA 30 (Nicholson Drive), which is about 500 feet southeast of Brightside Drive and before Gardere Lane in East Baton Rouge Parish, is now open to traffic. The bridge was closed on July 10 for crews to make emergency repairs, and it was expected to be closed for approximately five weeks. The bridge will remain load posted at 10T/15T.

The bridge is scheduled to be replaced in early 2018, but a routine inspection found the timber-supported bridge had severe deterioration in most of its substructure, requiring immediate closure. To keep the bridge in service until it can be replaced, DOTD reinforced the timber with steel, a quick and common repair for timber bridges.

Once the bridge is ultimately replaced, DOTD will salvage the reinforcing materials that were installed over the past two weeks.