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January 8, 2013America’s sixth best bridge, according to Road and Bridges’ Magazine’s list of Top 10 U.S. Bridges for the year 2012, is in Lafourche Parish.
The Leeville Bridge at La. Highway 1 made the list in the 103-year-old trade publication’s November issue. The magazine covers the transportation, construction and maintenance industry, reaching more than 60,000 print subscribers and 36,000-plus online readers.
“We are so proud to be recognized by Roads and Bridges Magazine for such a critical project as the Leeville Bridge,” said Sherri H. LeBas, secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development, in a release. “Not only did we improve access and safety for the residents and our industry partners in lower Lafourche Parish, and the barrier island of Grand Isle, but we ensured the continued national economic significance and regional viability of La. 1.”
Phase 1 of the $139 million La. 1 Improvement project was completed in December 2011. The first phase extends from the Gulf of Mexico in Port Fourchon to Leeville.
The 5.4-mile, two-lane elevated highway replaced the old La. 1 – a two-lane road that carried more than 1,000 large trucks daily. The bridge was prone to flooding because of subsidence and coastal erosion, LeBas said. The lowest part of La. 1 was elevated in order to prevent future flooding. The following pieces – Phase 1B and 1C – were completed in July 2009.
Before the Leeville Bridge was constructed, no alternative access road existed to move supplies to Fourchon.
During hurricane season, La. 1 serves as the sole evacuation route for lower Lafourche Parish and the barrier island of Grand Isle. It also is the only access route to Port Fourchon, the nation’s premier intermodal energy port, and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the nation’s only offshore oil port.
Congress designated the bridge as a high-priority corridor because of its critical energy infrastructure.
Design consultant firm CDM Smith and contractor James Construction Co. began work on the bridge project in March 2007.
“It was an extremely satisfying and rewarding project for us at CDM Smith,” said William Huffstetler, who serves as vice president in the company’s transportation division and served as project manager, in a release. “We appreciate the hard work put in by the DOTD and James Construction staffs.
“James Construction Group believes the collaborative effort with DOTD and CDM Smith personnel was the key ingredient to making this a successful partnership,” said Rodney James, vice president of operations.
Plans for Phase 2 of the La. 1 Expressway are under way. It will extend an additional nine miles of elevated roadway from Leeville to Golden Meadow. Phase 2 is estimated to cost approximately $320 million.
