Slidell, La.—Construction crews will transition Interstate 10/Twin Span Bridge westbound traffic from the old bridge to the newly constructed bridge Wednesday, April 7, 2010.  The transition will permanently remove traffic from the old Twin Span Bridge that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 

Work to transition traffic will begin at 9 a.m. and require approximately 12 hours to complete.  The work is dependent on weather conditions and may be re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.

Westbound drivers should anticipate travel delays during the traffic shift.  Alternate travel routes include the U.S. 11 bridge, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and Interstate 55.

Following the traffic shift, east and westbound drivers will temporarily share the eastbound approaches on both the north and south shores of Lake Pontchartrain.  The approaches will accommodate two lanes of traffic in each direction, while the mainline sections of the bridge will carry three lanes of both east and westbound traffic.

The temporary sharing of the eastbound approaches is necessary because portions of the old bridge must be demolished and removed before the new westbound approaches can be constructed.   The $800 million construction project remains on schedule for completion prior to the mid-2012 contract deadline.