Concrete from the Twin Spans bridges that will be dismantled when the new span between New Orleans and Slidell is complete will be used to help with coastal protection and restoration projects, Governor Bobby Jindal said Tuesday.

WWL-TV

Photo of construction of new Twin Spans from earlier this year.

“Using material from the twin span bridges to build reefs like these is a first in Louisiana,” said Jindal. “In the past, limestone has been shipped in from out of state, but this historic project uses material already on hand and reduces the cost of building this valuable habitat.”

The Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana, in partnership with Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and NOAA Office of Coast Survey’ proposes construction of two inshore artificial reefs in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. The reefs are to be constructed of bridge rubble, will provide hard-bottom habitat and will be between one and two acres in size. The reefs will be located in Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain at selected sites between the Interstate 10 and Highway 11 Bridges.

Construction of the new reefs are scheduled for spring 2009 in Lake Pontchartrain.  In the inshore coastal areas, this program had traditionally used crushed limestone to construct low-relief “shell-pad” type structures to enhance habitats and fisheries resources. This project proposes to utilize bridge rubble to demonstrate the use of alternate materials for habitat and fishery benefits.

The reefs will be constructed of rubble from the demolition of two 500 foot spans of the Interstate 10 Lake Pontchartrain Bridge. The concrete will be removed by Boh Brothers Construction onto barges and broken into smaller dimensions. The concrete material will be transported to the permitted and marked sites and placed on the lake bottom.

Reef materials will be placed in two sites, each one-acre in size but bounded by a permitted area (each) of two acres.  The locations of the two reefs will be in the 3,200-acre section between the I-10 twin spans and the Highway 11 bridge near the St. Tammany and Orleans Parish line.  The locations will be in the no trawl zone that prohibits any commercial trawling in the area. The locations are absent of any other commercial fishing.  The locations will be marked as required by USCG regulations.