NEW ORLEANS — The state is taking action to fix an issue that recently went viral on social media, with locals sharing photos of cracked concrete on Elysian Fields Bridge.
Transportation officials initially told us the bridge was safe, but then decided to take a closer look. The repairs are now underway.
Just a month ago concerns over cracks like these on columns of the Elysian Fields Overpass raised fears amongst motorists.
Scott Boyle with Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, says the bridge was inspected early this year, and the state department deemed it safe.
Boyle said, "This was a result of concerns that stemmed from a Facebook circulation."
He went on to say, "As a result of those concerns crews were deployed approximately one month ago to reinspect the bridge is still in structurally sound condition, we're performing the crack repairs to preserve the steel inside of the concrete column.
"The bridge is in fair condition... It's structurally sound. It was structurally sound in January, it was structurally sound a month ago."
Boyle says the bridge is more than 60 years old and over 20,000 vehicles travel across it daily, he says the cracks were cosmetic.
"When we perform inspections we're looking at cracks, we're looking at structural steel that has degraded and is no longer viable, we're looking at major support elements of the substructure, and once we reach out those sort of issues, a bridge may be taken out of service."
Crews began repairing those cosmetic cracks, with the repairs set to be completed by the end of the week.
"This is a high-strength concrete compound that's mixed with water and resins, it's a high-strength quick-drying type of material," he explained.
The resin they're putting over the cracks will prevent further cracking. The bridge will be monitored with its next inspection set for 2026.
DOTD projects the work to cost $10,000.
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