BKI was selected by
the Louisiana Department of Transportation
& Development to design elevated
approach structures for the Lake bound,
River bound and Transit lanes, and to
design a transit ramp relocation on the
east bank approach to the Greater New
Orleans Mississippi River
Bridge.
Structural design
included conventional AASHTO concrete
girder spans as well as both straight and
curved steel plate girders for several
long span girder crossings. Sequencing
construction to maintain full traffic
capacity of the existing Pontchartrain
Expressway throughout the three
construction phases was a key aspect of
the design.
The new elevated
lake bound traffic lanes were constructed,
followed by a partial demolition of the
old lake bound lanes and partial
construction of the new river bound lanes,
as well as the elevated transit lanes in
the median. The third phase consisted of
the completion of building the river bound
lanes and entrance ramps towards the
river.
The total
construction cost for this project was $84
million.
