NEW ORLEANS –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, announced today that the transition of southbound travel lanes at the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway has been postponed due to rain. The shift to one lane will take place later this week, weather permitting. Until that time, southbound traffic can continue to turn right onto 6th Street.
The lane shift is necessary to accommodate ongoing construction of the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System. Northbound traffic lanes are scheduled to transition onto the overpass in January 2012.
Once complete, the newly constructed ramp will stretch from the Causeway peninsula to just north of 6th St. Tie-ins will link the new floodwall feature with the existing Jefferson Parish lakefront levees. The floodwall defends against a storm surge event that has a one percent chance of occurring in any given year, or a 100-year storm surge event. Construction on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is scheduled to be complete in Dec. 2012.
As construction of the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System continues, residents and commuters are urged to use caution near active construction sites. If at any time there are questions about construction of the system, call the Corps’ toll free Construction Hotline at 877-427-0345. For more information on the HSDRRS is available at: www.usace.army.mil
Release no. 11-007