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One lane of Houma twin span remains closed after crane barge strikes bridge

Dan Copp, The Courier
·2 min read

The right eastbound lane on the Houma twin span remained closed Monday afternoon after a crane barge on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway struck the bridge early Sunday.

According to the Coast Guard, the collision occurred about 12:30 a.m. The tugboat Robert Cenac was traveling 2.3 mph pushing two barges, including one with a crane, when it struck the bridge.

No injuries were reported.

A boat makes its way Monday along the Gulf Instracoastal Waterway underneath the Houma twin span, which shows damage from the day before when a crane barge hit it.
A boat makes its way Monday along the Gulf Instracoastal Waterway underneath the Houma twin span, which shows damage from the day before when a crane barge hit it.

The Houma Police Department closed the entire bridge temporarily as the state Department of Transportation conducted a preliminary inspection, officials said. About 11 a.m. Sunday, state transportation officials closed the single lane until further notice "to allow inspection personnel to evaluate steel structural components on the bridge."

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The wreck left bent metal underneath the roadway of the Main Street span near its highest point, which is 73 feet above the water.

The downtown bridge -- a pair of two-lane spans opened in 1996 -- is one of the most heavily traveled in Houma. Alternate routes include the Houma Tunnel and the Dularge Overpass, each of them two lanes.

Related: Barge strikes Houma twin-span bridges, right lane closed until further notice

Houma resident Alex Ostheimer, who lives near the bridge, alerted authorities shortly after the collision. He said he has seen boat collisions occur at the bridge before.

A piece of bent metal from the collision is seen beneath the Main Street span on Monday.
A piece of bent metal from the collision is seen beneath the Main Street span on Monday.

“I called the police and by that time the tugboat was shining its light on the end of the crane and then the bridge,” he said. “It was pretty obvious what his concerns were. We couldn’t actually see the damage from where we were on the park side. We don’t know how long it’s going to take them to fix the bridge, but I think it’s a huge inconvenience and expense to the general public. It’s a health risk, and I don’t know what the solution is.”

A sign directs traffic Monday into the inside lane of the Main Street span across the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
A sign directs traffic Monday into the inside lane of the Main Street span across the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

A Transportation Department spokesperson said there was no timeframe as to when the lane would be reopened.

More: Barge crashes into Houma bridge

You can view a live shot from a traffic camera near the twin-span bridge at bit.ly/3pLKwST.

— Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Crane barge strikes Houma twin-span; one lane closed for inspection