"Old" Twin Spans' future

Last April a proposal was submitted to use a 2,000 foot portion of the Katrina-damaged I10 Twin Spans to create an artificial reef and a fishing pier.


These satellite pictures show the location of the proposed fishing pier and artificial reefs alongside the new Twin Span bridge. (Courtesy Image)

From the St. Tammany News:
“The idea was received favorably by DOTD, so they’ve accepted our proposal to move forward,” said St. Tammany Parish spokesman Tom Beale. “Since completion of the new bridge is so far off, it gives us time to work on a design and to solidify which ideas and implementation tactics will work best.”



DOTD spokesman Brendan Rush said his department has approved the sale of 2,000 to 2,500 linear feet of the existing bridge to the parish, at a price of $17,100. The old bridge will continue to be used for traffic as construction of the new spans progresses.

A second proposal, submitted at the same time, supported the reuse of a portion of the existing bridge that must be torn down to make way for the new construction. The concrete from that section would be reused to build two artificial fishing reefs between the U.S. Highway 11 bridge and the new Twin Span. Beale could not confirm if that portion of the plan had been approved.

“It may be that once the fishing pier is under way, they’ll revisit the idea of the artificial reefs,” he said. “The projects go hand-in-hand, so we’d like to move forward on both of them.”