Sunshine Bridge closure update
Friday, October 12, 2018 at 3:00:03 PM
Baton Rouge – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced that the Sunshine Bridge/LA 70 over the Mississippi River remains closed indefinitely due to the damage caused by a barge collision. DOTD has a contractor in place ready to make temporary repairs in order to reopen the bridge as quickly as possible. We are currently evaluating the damage and the ability to reinstate traffic on the bridge.
LA 70 westbound traffic may detour by heading east on LA 3125, south on LA 3213 and crossing the Veterans Memorial Bridge, and west on LA 3127 to the junction of LA 70.
LA 70 eastbound traffic may detour by heading east on LA 3127, north on LA 3213 and crossing the Veterans Memorial Bridge, and west on LA 3125 to the junction of LA 70.
The second Plaquemine ferry began its afternoon operations today at 1:30 p.m. instead of 3:15 p.m. to accommodate additional traffic due to the bridge closure. It will run to its normal ending time of 7:15 p.m. this evening. Additionally, the weekend ferry will run extra hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. instead of 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Motorists traveling to the LSU football game tomorrow are advised to use the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Gramercy, the ferry in Plaquemine, or the Horace Wilkinson Bridge in Baton Rouge as alternate river-crossing routes.
Call 511 or visit www.511la.org for additional travel information. Out-of-state travelers may call 1-800-ROAD-511 (1-800-762-3511). Motorists may also monitor the LA DOTD website at www.dotd.la.gov, by selecting MYDOTD, or by visiting the DOTD Facebook and Twitter pages.