$863M grant underpins Twin Span

New Orleans CityBusiness, Feb 20, 2006 by Jaime Guillet

Louisiana residents commuting from New Orleans to Slidell will use a new six-lane bridge over Lake Pontchartrain in the not-so- distant future.The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has been granted an additional $863 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation for a total of $963 million.

The money is earmarked for repairs, reconstruction, debris removal and road replacement needed after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. An estimated $629 million will go toward expanding the Twin Span - the stretch of Interstate 10 linking Slidell and New Orleans - into a six-lane bridge parallel to the current bridge.DOTD spokesman Mark Lambert said the estimate is low.With construction costs skyrocketing due to labor shortage, material shortages and competition among projects, we believe there will be additional costs, he said.Lambert said highway construction from hurricane relief funds totals $1.1 billion. The Federal Highway Administration has promised to cover any cost overrun. The new bridge will be elevated 30 feet with three lanes on each span. Bids go out in late March or early April. Lambert said the DOTD estimates work on the project would begin within 30 to 60 days of bid acceptance. Each span would take about three years to complete with the westbound span likely to open first, Lambert said.Expanding the Twin Span to six lanes will significantly increase St. Tammany's economic capacity as well as provide a safer hurricane evacuation route, said St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis. The current four-lane configuration is a narrow funnel through which commerce from I-12, I- 59 and I-10 must pass. The widening of the funnel will allow for greater and easier economic interchange among the North Shore, South Shore and our Mississippi neighbors. Slidell Mayor Ben Morris said he believes the project will enhance traffic flow, especially in conjunction with the Fremaux Avenue interchange construction. Lambert said DOTD repair projects also include:* Louisiana Highway 23 in Plaquemines Parish;* La. Highway 82 through Cameron Parish;* repairs to the U.S. Highway 11 bridge; * reconstruction on U.S. highways 90 and 190; and* continued construction on Chef Menteur Pass near St. Tammany Parish.Lambert said debris removal has been extensive and anything that wasn't tied down damaged roadways. He would not disclose the breakdown of dollar amounts on the various projects.