Motorists who are used to using the Sunshine Bridge in St. James Parish to travel from Donaldsonville on the west bank of the Mississippi River to Sorrento on the east bank are still without that option.
State transportation officials say the bridge will be closed indefinitely after damage to a load-bearing beam struck Friday by a barge-mounted crane was determined more serious than first thought.
“Our hope was to be able to use a portion of the bridge for traffic while emergency repairs were being made,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson. “However, that is not the case. We will be working on plans to make the repairs as quickly as possible and will develop a timeline for when the work will be completed."
About 25,000 drivers make use of the bridge, but will now have to depend on Veterans Memorial Bridge or the Plaquemine ferry, that will now utilize two boats until repairs are made.
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