Lane closures on Hale Boggs Bridge this weekend

The right lanes of the Hale Boggs bridge on Interstate 310 will be closed in both directions starting at 7 p.m. Friday until 5 p.m. Saturday for movement of construction equipment, according to the state Department of Transportation and Development.

The closure will leave one lane open in both directions.
The bridge is in the midst of a cable replacement project that  began in 2009 with an estimated end date of February 2011. However, because of delays the project will not be complete until about August 2012.

Replacement of the cables was called for in 2007 after the Federal Highway Commission rated the bridge a 3 out of a possible 9 due to the effects of weather on the cables.

Each of the 72 cables is being replaced one at a time because the job involves installing a replacement cable next to an existing cable, applying tension and then removing the old cable. The current cables had a lifespan of 25 years, which they lived up to, and the new cables are designed to last 50 years.