Delays on Hale Boggs Bridge this weekend

Motorists wishing to use the Hale Boggs Bridge, which connects Destrehan and Luling in St. Charles Parish, may want to consider taking an alternate route this weekend.

The state Department of Transportation and Development said there will be intermittent closures of the right northbound lane starting at noon today. The DOTD also said at times both northbound lanes will be closed.

The closures will happen today and Sunday between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Full closures will happen today between noon and 6 p.m.

Alternate routes include the Huey P. Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish and the Veterans Memorial Bridge in St. James Parish.

River Road

closure

A portion of River Road in Norco between Good Hope Street and Prospect Avenue, next to the Valero Refinery, will be closed from Dec. 19 through Jan. 3. During this time, Airline Highway may be used as an alternate route.

The purpose of the road closure is to dismantle and lift a pipe bridge that crosses the road to allow greater overhead clearance for traffic. The road closure will exist 0.8 miles down River Road from Apple Street and 0.2 miles up River Road from Prospect Avenue. There will be detour/ road closure signs located at the intersections of Apple and Prospect. Traffic will be allowed into Shell and Motiva via Apple Street and traffic will be allowed into Valero via Prospect Avenue.

The current clearance of the pipe bridge is 13 feet, 2 inches, which is not high enough for larger elevated vehicles to pass underneath. As a result, these vehicles must travel down Apple Street through residential areas. The new pipe bridge will have a minimum clearance of 18 feet, 10 inches. This will allow greater use of Prospect Avenue by large trucks and reduce congestion on Apple Street.

I-10 lane closure

The right lane of eastbound Interstate 10 near LaPlace on the Reserve Canal Bridge and on the Bonnet Carre Spillway up to the St. Charles Parish line will be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. These closures will occur Monday through Thursday nights each week until Thursday, Dec. 18, while crews replace the existing overhead signs with new signs.

These closures will allow vehicles 12-feet-wide or smaller to pass through the construction zone. The road is open for regular traffic, but oversize vehicles must detour using Louisiana Highway 641 exit to Airline Highway to the Metairie/New Orleans area.

The Department of Transportation and Develpment reminds drivers to drive with caution through the construction site and be on the lookout for work crews and their equipment.

I-10 eastbound lane closure

On the eastbound Interstate 10 in St. John the Baptist Parish from U.S. Highway 51 to the St. Charles Parish line, the inside/left lane will be closed Monday, Dec. 14, through Wednesday, Dec. 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily while crews remove vegetation between the eastbound and westbound lanes.

This closure will allow vehicles up to 12 feet wide to pass through.䱑