Union Pacific installs new Bayou Lafourche bridge

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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The new bridge installed by Union Pacific.
Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District

Union Pacific completed installation of a new bridge at Bayou Lafourche in Donaldsonville, La., over the weekend.

The new 102-foot steel bridge is a key part of Louisiana’s efforts to reintroduce freshwater from the Mississippi River into Bayou Lafourche. The original crossing was made up of box culverts that limited the amount of water that could pass through in the levee. The project is part of a multi-organizational partnership led by the Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District (BLFWD).

BLFWD explains that allowing more fresh water into the bayou combats saltwater intrusion and prevents further wetland loss in lower Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes.
Ben Malbrough, executive director of the BLFWD, says water flow is unimpeded with the new bridge, which allows the BLFWD to more than double its current pumping capacity into Bayou Lafourche and make the potable water source for more than 300,000 people more resilient.

Union Pacific began construction on the project in early August.

At the time the project began, Drew Tessier, director of public affairs with UP said, “While the existing crossing meets Union Pacific’s operational needs, the project aligns with the company’s environmental commitment. Union Pacific’s engineers designed a bridge structure that meets the needs of the BLFWD and the company’s operational demands.”

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