Update on Recently Repaired Bridges

Three bridges on major roadways in Central were recently repaired by the City-Parish after inspections by DOTD showed deficiencies. All of these bridges are timber/creosote bridges with concrete spans built nearly 50 years ago.

The Frenchtown Road bridge over Draughn Creek was closed  July 23 and was reopened Oct. 15. Five major pilings and caps had to be completely replaced. Delays to this project were caused by Hurricane Ida as well as high water in Draughn Creek which prevented work from being done.

The Wax Road bridge over Draughn Creek was closed Sept. 14, and repairs were completed Oct. 22. However, the roadway was not opened until Oct. 26 due to gas line repairs by Entergy. While crews were fixing a cap issue on the bridge, they noticed other deficiencies and proactively repaired those issues as well to prevent having to come back in the future for more repairs.

The Gurney Road bridge over the Blackwater Bayou lateral was closed Sept. 14 and reopened just over a week later after repairs to a piling and cap were completed Sept. 23. This bridge is scheduled to be replaced by DOTD in 2023 with a new concrete piling bridge.

The closure of these bridges shows the need for more connecting roadways in the city, as the detour routes were lengthy and created congestion on other major roadways.

Three other timber piling bridges in Central have been torn down and rebuilt with concrete pilings within the last three years in Central. These bridges were on Pecos Avenue, Denham Road, and Dyer Road.

A bridge on Arleen Avenue is currently under repair. However, the bridge is remaining open during the repairs.