This joint venture project for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development the was for the critical 1.1-mile long, high rise portion of the twin Interstate 10 bridges over Lake Pontchartrain into New Orleans. This project involved construction of two 5,780-foot long parallel bridges carrying traffic over Lake Pontchartrain adjacent to the existing bridge. The 36-inch precast pile and long span girders required several 300-ton capacity crane barges.
The new bridge spans replace the existing structure that was badly damaged by hurricane Katrina. This project was mobilized in the difficult post-Katrina economic environment in New Orleans.
Interstate 10 is the main thoroughfare linking the Gulf Coast states and a key tropical storm evacuation route. The bridge is now wide enough to accommodat 6 lanes with 12-foot shoulders, and rises at mid-span to accommodate commercial navigation in Lake Ponchartrain. Potential ship impact required piers in the vicinity of the navigation channel to have pile supported waterline footings.