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Partial lane closures on US 190 as DOTD inspects old Mississippi River bridge

1 year 11 months 4 weeks ago Tuesday, March 29 2022 Mar 29, 2022 March 29, 2022 1:35 PM March 29, 2022 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - The DOTD is working on its latest inspection of the old Mississippi River Bridge at US 190, which will partially shut down the bridge in both directions Monday through Wednesday. The closures will last from 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. 

It's part of advancements the department hopes to continue with funding from a recent infrastructure bill that grants them an additional $200 million annually through federal funding.

Much of the bridge infrastructure is incredibly old, making the inspection all the more important.

A lot of the inspection process is done through sending of about 15-20 people up on the bridge. Not only does it worsen travel congestion, but it makes it difficult to find times to work on inspections when the roadways are lit. 

With new technology DOTD is already adopting, a couple key drives will help improve both data gathering and traffic flow. DOTD's chief maintenance engineer said much of the new technology will eliminate the need to have a whole crew on scene during the inspection.

Their goal is to prioritize bridges and major roads where significant amounts of traffic often travel, like the I-10 bridge. 

The department says there likely won't be an inspection of the I-10 bridge until next year. With the ways DOTD is advancing its inspections, funding could work to ensure a less invasive process during the I-10 inspection, making it easier for inspectors and drivers.

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