DOTD to close Judge Seeber Bridge for rehabilitation
Tuesday, March 02, 2010 at 2:33:03 PM
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced a total closure of the Judge Seeber Bridge over the Industrial Canal for approximately two months. The bridge will remain closed to vehicular traffic seven days a week, 24 hours a day, beginning March 15 and lasting until the beginning of May. DOTD advises that the completion date is subject to change to allow for the final portion of the project, bridge re-decking, to commence mid-summer when traffic is less heavy and school is not in session.
Until March 15, the bridge will remain closed for repairs on weekdays, excluding weekends and holidays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The closure is part of a $6.8 million rehabilitation project to replace the wire ropes that raise and lower the bridge, refurbish the bridge’s electrical system, replace damaged beams that were struck by vessels and oversized trucks and replace the bridge decking which will improve skid resistance and eliminate the wave-action in the riding surface of the bridge. In addition, advanced signal notification features will be installed to provide warning to motorists when the bridge is about to be raised for marine traffic.
DOTD recommends drivers detour via the La. 46 St. Claude Avenue Bridge or the Florida Avenue Bridge. Drivers can also take La. 47 (Paris Road) to I-510/I-10 as an alternate route.
The St. Claude Avenue and Florida Avenue Bridges are draw bridges operated by the Port of New Orleans which must open for marine traffic to pass through the canal. As these bridges open and close for marine traffic, drivers should expect approximately fifteen minute delays. Drivers should note that marine traffic is prohibited from passing from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.
In addition to the closures for vehicular traffic, there will be two five-day closures for marine traffic between March 15 and April 2. The first five- day, 24-hours- a-day, closure will tentatively begin on March 15, depending on the United States Coast Guard’s (U.S.G.S.) evaluation on shipping schedules. Following the first five-day closure, a two-to-seven day window will be allowed to clear congested marine traffic and to coordinate shipping schedules. The second five-day, 24-hours-a-day, marine closure will begin immediately once marine traffic is cleared and shipping schedules are coordinated.
Learn more about the project by visiting the project’s Web page at www.dotd.la.gov. Click on “Projects” from the “Programs & Projects” section of the main menu on the left-hand side of the page and select the “Judge Seeber Bridge Maintenance Project” link. You can also follow the project on Facebook. Once you open a Facebook account, you can access project information by entering “Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development” or “Judge Seeber Bridge (Claiborne Ave.) Maintenance Project.”
For questions, or to sign-up to receive periodic e-mail updates on the project, contact DOTD’s Customer Service Center at DOTDCS@la.gov or 1-877-4LA-DOTD (1-877-452-3683). The center’s normal business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.