This past weekend, the first of several lane closures started to make repairs on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. As expected, the traffic backed up terribly all weekend. According to KATC, the traffic went back for 10 miles.
The closures are happening on the westbound side of the bridge between Henderson and Whiskey Bay. There will be additional closures for the next few weekends. One lane of the bridge will be open for traffic, but that will still mean slow travel. DOTD recommends taking a detour if you can.
The purpose of the closures is to replace the bridge deck surface with a latex concrete pavement. The surface has been cracking and breaking off after a vehicle fire happened on the bridge in August of 2019. The resurfacing will stop the damage from spreading.
The current estimate for completion is on January 27th. You can check out current lane closures and traffic conditions online before travel. Construction is limited to the weekends.
It’s great that they’re resurfacing the bridge. Perhaps one day they’ll add more lanes as well or at least a way for people to pull over safely. That will reduce accidents on the vital but dangerous bridge.
