I-10 BRIDGE ACROSS LAKE PONCHARTRAIN – MAIN SPANS

New Orleans, Louisiana

This joint venture project for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development 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 the 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 accommodate six 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.