Emergency repair work on Intracoastal Bridge complete, previous repairs resume overnight
Friday, March 29, 2019 at 10:04:21 AM
Baton Rouge, LA – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced today that the emergency repair work on LA 1 southbound on the Intracoastal Bridge has been completed approximately one week earlier than expected. Both southbound lanes will be opened in time for this afternoon’s peak traffic. While the emergency repairs are now complete, the joint repairs that were taking place before the girder was damaged will continue, and motorists can expect nighttime lane closures.
“We understand the frustration that West Bank commuters have been experiencing during this emergency closure, and I have been personally engaged with elected officials and citizens since before the emergency repair started. We are thrilled to be able to reopen the Intracoastal Bridge sooner than expected and know it will provide welcomed relief for the entire region,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D. “We very much appreciate the diligence and efficiency of the repairs performed by International Straightening, Inc., and we sincerely appreciate the patience of the traveling public during this difficult situation. We were able to open the bridge earlier than expected because the heat-straightening efforts effectively repaired the damaged girder, eliminating the need for grouting and additional efforts to complete the repairs, resulting in an earlier opening. This incident demonstrated that our infrastructure system is only as strong as its weakest link.”
The joint repairs to the Intracoastal Bridge will continue. Motorists can expect nightly lane closures on the northbound side of the bridge from Monday, April 1 to Friday, April 5. These closures will take place between 7 p.m. and 4 a.m. each night. The northbound side will also be reduced to one lane on Saturday, April 6 at 7 p.m. until Monday, April 8 at 4 a.m.
The Intracoastal Bridge was damaged by a truck on March 19, necessitating the closure of one travel lane on LA 1 southbound. DOTD took several measures to ease traffic congestion resulting from the lane closure, such as monitoring traffic flow in Port Allen and adjusting signals as needed, allowing traffic on the I-10 off-ramp to have the right of way, requesting law enforcement presence at the I-10/LA 1 southbound merge, and extending the hours of the Plaquemine ferry.
Call 511 or visit 511la.org for additional travel information. Out-of-state travelers may call 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511). Motorists may also monitor the LA DOTD website at http://www.dotd.la.gov/, by selecting MYDOTD, or by visiting the DOTD Facebook and Twitter pages.