Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal told that the Twin Spans bridges will be dismantled as the new span between New Orleans and Slidell is complete. The concrete debris will be used to help with coastal protection and restoration projects. Jindal informed that using material from the twin span bridges to build reefs like these is a first in Louisiana.
According to Jindal using the 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. It is said that the reefs to be constructed 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.
This project proposes to utilize bridge rubble to demonstrate the use of alternate materials for habitat and fishery benefits. It is told that the reef materials will be placed in two sites, each one-acre in size but bounded by a permitted area (each) of two acres. It is told that 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.
