Claiborne Avenue Judge Seeber Bridge scheduled to reopen in less than two weeks, barring weather problems, state DODT says

Barring weather problems, the Claiborne Avenue Judge Seeber Bridge should reopen in less than two weeks, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said Tuesday.

The Claiborne bridge, the main way to downtown New Orleans for many St. Bernard Parish motorisits, has been closed since Aug. 2 and has been held up by constant delays since it was iriginally announced it would only be closed for several weeks.

A $4.8 million project to paint and perform other maintenance, has been the reason for the closure.

Currently, work on the west tower is complete, the state said, while the east tower is awaiting a final coat of paint. Blasting operations on the lift span are scheduled for the remainder of the week, with painting to start over the weekend or early next week.

Barring weather problems, the bridge is scheduled to reopen to traffic by the end of next week, less than two weeks from now, the state said.

Prior to opening, the structure must be inspected to ensure the safety of the motoring public. The contractor will still have work to perform and a permanent lane closure in each direction will be required for six to eight weeks thereafter.

Last Wednesday, high winds blew down the containment tarp installed on the lift span. Contractor work crews required nearly a week to reinstall the tarp in order to contain the lead-based paint being removed.

DOTD continues to meet twice a week with the contractor, the design consultant, and the inspection consultants to assure project progress.

The bridge is currently in the “up” position and closed to vehicular traffic, with marine traffic passing through. Detours are the St. Claude and Florida Avenue bridges or the I-10 to Paris Road.