IBERVILLE PARISH - The only bridge into a small town in Iberville Parish has been damaged and must be shut down twice a day until repairs finish.

Mike Latiolais lives on the east side of the Bayou Sorrel Bridge. He was waiting to cross it Thursday when he saw the barge hit the bridge.

"I heard the crash," Latiolais said. "Finished hitting the pontoon part of the draw bridge and he kinda just backed off a little bit."

The bridge was shut down after the wreck. and Latiolais had groceries in his truck.

"We parked my truck across the bayou, got in his boat and he taxied across where we were able to bring our groceries back."

The bridge re-opened Friday, but DOTD says the bridge will close every night from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. for repairs and from 9 a.m. until noon for marine traffic.

Even though the damaged bridge is an inconvenience, folks who live on the east side of the bridge worry about what could happen if an emergency takes place.

"You are pretty much on your own if the bridge goes out. You can stand a chance to not make it," said Major Ronnie Hebert, an Iberville sheriff's deputy and resident in the area.

Residents said it would take an hour for an emergency vehicle to get to them when the bridge is closed.

At this time, the DOTD is unsure when the work in Bayou Sorrel will be completed.