BELLE CHASSE, La. – Plaquemines Parish is pushing to upgrade the Belle Chasse tunnel and bridge where just last week an 11-car pile-up accident was reported. Parish officials are holding a public meeting next month to discuss several proposals to improve the aging infrastructure.
Susan Mudge, who is the co-owner of JP’s Auto Body and Paint said one of her customers drove their car to her shop on Highway 23 after it was damaged in a multi-car crash in the tunnel.
"Two last week. One was an 8-car vehicle accident and one was 11 cars. Several were totaled,” Mudge said. "The tunnel is terribly dangerous when it’s wet. It seems to stay wet lately, and accidents that occur are multi-car accidents."
Nearby businesses said another inconvenience for drivers is when the Judge Perez Bridge opens for marine traffic on the Intracoastal Waterway. This happens they said at least seven times a day for about 10 minutes at a time.
The Belle Chase Tunnel was constructed in 1956 and the bridge in 1968. The aging infrastructure is why Plaquemines Parish President Amos Cormier Jr. wants to give both structures a face-lift.
“It is safe, but there are some structural, mechanical and electrical repairs that must be done in the tunnel itself,” Cormier said. "The structural repairs will be done first, and the mechanical and electrical will come following that.”
Next month parish officials will hold a public meeting to get community input on the projects. Cormier said it will cost $15 million to spruce up the tunnel and about $120 million to make major upgrades to the bridge.
“What I'm leaning toward recommending is a 73-foot fixed bridge, 150 feet wide, bicycle-pedestrian [lane] and a four-lane with a 5 percent grade,” Cormier said.
However, the officials said in order to make this project a reality and update these aging Belle Chasse landmarks, securing state funding is key.
“We have dealt with it for many years, and it absolutely needs to be done. How and who will pay for it, and when will it happen? I don't know, but it can't come soon enough,” Mudge said.
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimated that 23% of bridges in Louisiana were structurally deficient. Plaquemines Parish officials confirm the Belle Chasse Tunnel and Bridge are safe to use but upgrades are long overdue.
The public meeting on the upgrades is scheduled for Wednesday, June 7 from 5 - 8 p.m. inside Belle Chasse Auditorium.