: Companies won't let employees use I-10 Bridge, what do they know we don't?

The Blog

By: C.M.Ambrose, Jr.

    (LakeCharles, La.)  Back in the summer of 2013 an article appeared in the Lake Charles American Press by Johnathan Manning.  The piece was about a magazine article, the title Magazine: Calcasieu River bridge one of nation's most dangerous. The article,  it was referring to, appeared in Travel and Leisure with the Bridge coming in 7th on the list.  From the article:

Lauren Lee, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation and Development, said that if the bridge were deemed unsafe, it would be closed.

 Since that time no information about what's been done to clean up the ethylene dichloride  from the '94 spill, that halted the construction, due to drinking water contamination dangers. Is it still there?  Did you clean it up? That's doubtful, that takes money, and that's been in short supply for many years. The report is due this year, 2016 on how they should proceed.

     Here we are 22  years later, with a $5+ million dollar spot paint/critical repair job on the I-10 bridge and the citizens who travel that bridge remain in danger with no specific plans or solutions in place or being planned.  In 2009 a piece appeared authored by Andrew W. Griffin on  Reddirtreport.com, an Oklahoma information site in the category "around the world", titled  LA: Report says I-10 bridge at Lake Charles is Dangerous.  In the piece Mr. Griffin writes;

"Then Dr. Movassaghi, my friend and the former Sec. of Transportation for the state, told me he never uses the bridge. He and other highway dept. officials use the loop around Lake Charles.  Simply put, they are truly afraid of the bridge and are considering condemning it."

     He urges drivers to preempt them and use another route.  He goes on to describe a conversation he had with his brother-in-law, a "corrosion specialist for 40yrs" who while waiting near the bridge he "studied" the bottom of the bridge and was concerned about the amount and type of corrosion.  He stated he comes to this area regularly and never uses the bridge. While some may say,  that is simply conjecture, what's not conjecture is that there are and have been companies who "forbid travel over the bridge in company vehicles or equipment."  saying the state rated this bridge 2.4 on a scale of  0-9 and stated it is at or near "critical condition"(2009)  From the IHS Engeneering forumn  back in Jan. '09, this is it:

 Bridge Structural Failure Warning: I-10 Lake Charles, Louisiana

01/21/2009 3:48 PM

I have been informed that the bridge over Lake Charles in Louisiana on I-10 is rated structurally unsound by the State of Louisiana. My employer has issued an advisory to all company employees that no company owned vehicle may use the bridge.

"This advisory is submitted as a directive which restricts the use of the Calcasieu River and Lake Charles Bridge on Interstate Highway #10 in the area of Lake Charles, Louisiana (Coordinates 30 degrees 14 minutes and 13.28 seconds N and 93 degrees 14 minutes and 48.41 seconds West).

The above noted bridge is restricted by <deleted> to "No Travel". This no travel restriction applies to all vehicles owned and or operated by <deleted>. Travel in this area must be directed to Interstate Highway #210 (Lake Charles By-Pass) or other routes which by-pass and avoid the above noted bridge.

The state of Louisiana has rated this bridge at 2.4 on the National Bridge Inventory Rating Scale of 0 to 9 with 0 being "Failed Condition". The rating of 2.4 on the Calcasieu River Bridge classes this bridge at or near "Critical Condition"."

  It seems that parts of the country know that the bridge is so unsafe, they don't risk their equipment or their people.  It also comes to mind that any traffic studies done, any projections done on impact, or any other set of numbers that have been used or given concerning infrastructure impact, are flawed.  Since no company has  to voluntarily say if their employees or equipment are forbid from using the I-10 bridge, we have no idea how many of those people are adding to traffic problems around the loop.   On Oct. 1, 2015 the La. Dept. of Trans. announced:
     "Louisiana statewide historic bridge Programmatic Agreement announced." 

     The State recently announced Roadwork on the I-210 Bridge, with alternate closing of east and west bound lanes, running single lanes alternately on either side.  This is scheduled to start this spring. This will thus increasing the traffic on the already overburdened I-10 bridge, as well, increase traffic in certain parts of the city, Moss Bluff, Westlake, and Sulphur.  The effects will ripple throughout Swla., thus causing a condition ripe to cause major problems, quite frankly this place isn't ready to handle.  This doesn't take into account any street projects the parish or city has planned for the same time period. Any more street closings with make a bad situation worse, and with $12 billion in backlogged Road projects( U.S. Senate hearing 114-40) solutions don't look to be coming soon. I am sorry to say that the infrastructure problems that exist here will magnify and expose some things that weren't considered.  Now, might be too late. But something needs to be done to insure the safety of the people who use, both bridges.  Someone knows something we don't.