Florida Avenue Bridge
The
Florida Avenue Bridge is a
vertical lift bridge spanning the
Industrial Canal in
New Orleans, Louisiana. The bridge has one
railroad track, two vehicle lanes and two sidewalks. A parallel high-elevation four-lane roadway bridge is planned.
The Florida Avenue Bridge takes its name from Florida Avenue, formerly the Florida Walk along side the
Florida Canal.
Florida Avenue was one of the first three roadways provided with bridges across the Industrial Canal when the Canal was built in the early 1920s, the others being Saint Claude Avenue and Gentilly Road/Chef Menteur Highway.
The existing lift bridge was completed in May 2005,[
1] replacing a Strauss trunnion
bascule bridge which provided only 91 feet (18.6
m) of horizontal clearance for marine traffic.
The lift bridge has 300 feet (91.5 m) horizontal clearance and 156 feet (47.5 m) vertical in the up position.[
2]
Most of the marine usage of the Florida Avenue site consists of
towboat and
barge traffic transitting from the
Mississippi River, through the Industrial Canal Lock, then east following the
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The lift bridge, however, provides enough vertical clearance for ship traffic as well.
For months after
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 the bridge was out of commission, left in raised position for Canal shipping. As of 1 June, 2006, the Florida Avenue Bridge is still closed to vehicular traffic due to the devastation on the
Lower 9th Ward side of the bridge and damage to the approaches, but it has been restored to functioning for railroad traffic.
A four-lane, high-level vehicular bridge is planned to be built immediately south of (toward the Mississippi River from) the lift bridge. According to plans in place before Hurricane Katrina, the first construction phase was expected to be let in early 2007, with completion of the entire project in 2010.[
3] These plans may be delayed or modified due to the ongoing effects of the Katrina related devastation of the area.
*
American Bridge Company: Florida Avenue Bridge*
Louisiana TIMED Program: Florida Avenue Bridge*
Modjeski & Masters, Consulting Engineers: Florida Avenue Bridge Replacement*
Port of New Orleans: Florida Avenue Bridge*
Structurae: Florida Avenue Bridge{{Crossings navbox
structure = Crossings | place = Gulf Intracoastal Waterway | bridge = Florida Avenue Bridge | bridge signs = | upstream text = West | upstream = Claiborne Avenue Bridge | upstream signs = LA 39 | downstream text = East | downstream = Paris Road Bridge | downstream signs = LA 47
|
