I-10 Twin Span Bridge - Current Twin Span

Current Twin Span

Following the extensive damages from Hurricane Katrina, it was decided that the old Twin Spans were too vulnerable to storm surge and that the long term solution would be to construct two new spans. Ground was broken on July 13, 2006 on the project which constructed two new bridges 300 feet (91 m) east of the old spans. This $803 million project constructed two three-lane bridges 30 feet (9.1 m) above the surface of Lake Ponchartrain, with an 80-foot (24 m) high rise near Slidell. Each span is 60 feet (18 m) wide, consisting of three 12-foot (3.7 m) lanes, and 12-foot (3.7 m) shoulders on each side.

The wider bridges eliminated the bottlenecking that occurred at both ends of the old bridges and also will be able to accommodate 50 percent more traffic than the old twin spans, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The current bridges also feature traffic cameras and electronic message boards to alert motorists of any potential problems on the bridge, much like the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway bridge.