BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced that the La. 70 Belle River pontoon bridge replacement project has been pushed back because of a design flaw discovered by a department engineer.

There was an error in the design of the pivot arm that controls the motion of the pontoon bridge when it is opening for marine traffic. The design consultant, Picciola and Associates of Cut-off, will provide a redesign June 6. Once DOTD accepts the redesign, the replacement of the old pontoon bridge will reschedule.

DOTD will provide a 30-day notice to the community before closing the bridge. The closure will last 14 days, and the contractor will have a contingency plan to reschedule replacement in the event of a hurricane. The replacement of the bridge will not take place the week prior or the week following the Fourth of July.

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www.dotd.la.gov