Terrebonne Bridge closures force early preparation, evacuation plans

TERREBONNE PARISH, La. (WGNO) — Countless bridges in Terrebonne Parish remain closed, but with tropical weather headed this way, Chad Lintonhurst expects traffic to be even more chaotic in the coming days.

“It’s bumper to bumper everywhere. It’s almost like what’s happening. And, but, yeah, it causes a lot of traffic in the evenings,” said Lintonhurst.

Terrebonne Parish President Jason Bergeron says this was his biggest concern during the hurricane season, as most of the bridges are evacuation routes.

Though this storm may not be too bad, there is no telling what could be next.

“It’s enough trouble getting people out of here whenever everything’s working fine. My worry is that I give some people a reason to maybe not leave. For Ida we only had about 50% of residents leave,” Bergeron said.

Darlene Cook agrees as she is still contemplating whether she wants to evacuate or stay put, typically her area floods quickly.

“If the weather gets bad, yes, I will leave because our street floods. I live on Raleigh Drive. It’s only one way out. There’s a police officer who’s directing traffic because there are so many people coming across one way,” said Cook.

Bergeron says one bridge is set to open this weekend, but others will take up to four months.

“The parish has set up sandbag locations year-round, however, says the closure has them prepping ahead of any storm that could come their way,” Bergeron said.

“We already got flood gates starting to close and making preparations,” Bergeron said. “And you know, with the storm, if a major storm were to come through, the preparations we would make, if we would do evacuations, we just have to do that stuff earlier.”

Lintonhurst believes that as we get further into hurricane season, people debating whether they should evacuate should start planning now.

“Maybe people can prepare themselves to get ahead of what is coming. They feel the need to leave. That way they don’t have to be stuck in traffic like a parade,” said Lintonhurst.

Terrebonne Parish sandbag stations are open year-round and residents must bring their own shovels.

• Barry P. Bonvillain Civic Center (346 Civic Center Blvd., Houma)
• Adult Softball Complex Parking Lot (9544 E. Main St., Houma)

The bridges were closed for various reasons, and have varying dates for expected reopening, all listed prior to the end of 2025.

• Boudreaux Canal Bridge on LA 56 – Closed due to a failed structural inspection. Repairs are expected to be complete by the end of August. A new bridge is also planned to be built, costing an estimated $30 million.
• Daigleville Bridge at LA 24 to LA 659 – Closed in February due to mechanical and electrical issues. Estimated reopening in October.
• Bayou Blue Pontoon Bridge at LA 316 and Romero Street – Closed due to a barge collision on Thanksgiving of 2024. Repair completion is scheduled for end of August.
• Bayou Dularge Bascule Bridge on LA 315 – Closed on June 23 due to a faulty motor on one of the bridge’s two spans. Reopening is scheduled for early July.

Details for all of the projects can be found on the DOTD’s website using their “Project Viewer” feature.

Latest Posts