[StBernard] Judge Seeber Bridge closure effects addressed by transportation officials

[Westley Annis]

Judge Seeber Bridge closure effects addressed by transportation officials
By Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune 
March 17, 2010, 10:28PM

Three days into the round-the-clock closure of the Judge Seeber Bridge
spanning the Industrial Canal, the state Department of Transportation and
Development took questions from motorists Wednesday night at a sparsely
attended community meeting in St. Bernard Parish.

Repairs of the Claiborne Avenue bridge that connects the Lower 9th Ward and
St. Bernard Parish to the rest of New Orleans began Monday and will continue
through the beginning of May, forcing drivers to detour to either the
Florida Avenue or St. Claude bridges that also cross the ship channel.

Local politicians and state transportation officials outnumbered residents
Wednesday evening, but Peter Rusck, who owns Arabi Cabs, noted problems he's
had getting through to the Port of New Orleans, which operates the St.
Claude and Florida Avenue bridges.

"There's no way that anybody can get in touch with you all through just
calling information," Rusck said, recounting a recent late-night delay at
the Florida Avenue bridge.

St. Bernard Parish Councilman Mike Ginart also relayed complaints about
trains blocking the entrance to the Florida Avenue bridge en route to the
Lower 9th Ward. 

Deborah Keller, director of port development with the Port of New Orleans,
said she has been in contact with the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad about
the train delays and has urged them to tailor their schedules to avoid
blocking road crossings during peak traffic hours. The port has also
received radios on loan from St. Bernard Parish government that will allow
bridge operators, police and ambulance service to communicate and be aware
of emergencies.

"A phone call is one EMS unit talking to one bridge operator; the beauty of
the radio is that somebody is listening," Keller said.

Since St. Bernard has no hospital, delays in getting across the Industrial
Canal could be life-threatening.


 



Keller suggested that anyone encountering problems or significant delays at
either the Florida Avenue Bridge or the St. Claude Bridge call Harbor Police
at 504.891.7585.

The Judge Seeber repairs involve a complete refurbishing of the bridge's
electrical system and bridge decks, along with replacing cables that raise
and lower the bridge and beams that have been damaged by oversize trucks and
marine vessels. 

To ease congestion at rush hour, there is a marine traffic "curfew" in
effect on the Florida Avenue and St. Claude bridges Monday through Friday
from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and from 3:30 to 5:45 p.m. Unless there is an
emergency, the bridges cannot be raised for marine traffic during those
times.

But delays could be heavy right afterward.

The first round of 24/7 closures will last through May; another 20-day
closure is expected in July. If work gets pushed too far into the heart of
hurricane season, DOTD officials said, the July closure could be moved to
October. 

"It's sometimes a pain in the neck but I know something good is going to be
there once those orange cones go away," said state Rep. Nita Hutter,
R-Chalmette.

Those with questions about the Judge Seeber closure or progress on the
project can contact DOTD Customer Service at 1.877.452.3683 or by e-mail at
DOTDCS at la.gov. Project information is also online.  Or search for "Judge
Seeber Bridge Maintenance Project" on Facebook.