US – Both road freight and shipping will be affected by the current closure of the Judge William Seeber Bridge over the Industrial Canal, New Orleans, Louisiana. 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.
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 shipping in the Canal 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.
The four lane bridge, officially named the Claiborne Avenue Bridge, has a chequered history. Built in 1957 it has been regularly damaged by barges, trucks, cars and latterly Hurricane Katrina leaving it in a very poor state of repair.
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.
The Louisiana Department of Transport and Development (LDOTD) 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.
For questions, or to sign-up to receive e-mail updates on the project, contact LDOTD’s Customer Service Center at DOTDCS@la.gov or 1-877-4 LA-DOTD (1-877-452-3683). The center’s normal business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
