Work Begins to Repair I-10, U.S. 90 in Gulf Region

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

ork began Monday to repair the hurricane-damaged Twin Span Bridge that carries Interstate 10 traffic between New Orleans and Slidell, La., the U.S. Department of Transportation said.

“Restoring this critical eastward link for New Orleans will speed recovery of the city and the entire Gulf region,” DOT Secretary Norman Mineta said in a statement.

n Friday, a contract was awarded to Boh Brothers Construction of New Orleans to repair the bridge’s damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. The contract requires work to be completed within 45 days.

The contract includes a $50,000 per-day incentive to complete the work ahead of schedule, as well as penalties if the repairs are not done on time, Mineta said.

In order to quickly restore two-way traffic, the eastbound span will be repaired first, providing one lane of traffic in each direction, DOT said.

The second phase of the work will result in repair of the westbound span which, along with the eastbound span, will provide two-lane traffic in each direction within 120 days.

Work also began Friday on a temporary replacement road for U.S. 90 in Mississippi, to be completed within 90 days. Parts of the road will be opened as work progresses, with full completion of the highway from Pass Christian, Miss., to Biloxi, Miss., scheduled for Dec. 9.