Lafayette Road to Close for Next Eight Months to Remove and Replace Bridge

A road in Lafayette, Louisiana will be closing soon so crews can remove and replace an existing bridge.

According to Lafayette Consolidated Government, starting July 8, a portion of Canberra Road will be closed for approximately eight months.

The closure will be approximately 0.40 miles east of Johnston Street where the bridge is located.

Construction will involve crews removing and replacing the existing bridge along with the associated roadway, drainage, and water lines.

If this affects your daily travel plans, detour routes have been posted to ensure smooth traffic flow and local access throughout the closure period.

Detour routes are as follows:

• Pontalba Drive
• Crestlawn Drive
• Bluerose Lane
• Asphodel Lane

Now, we couldn't report this bridge closure without mentioning a famous story (at least it was infamous to us) about the nearby Bruce Street bridge.

Back in October 2009, inspectors found the wooden structure to be compromised and ordered the bridge to be replaced. Further inspection of the bridge found a hodgepodge of utility lines and pipelines running underneath it along the banks of the coulee in which the bridge crossed.

The new bridge had to be rebuilt with more modern standards. Some eight months later, the bridge was opened.

The total cost of the project came in at $480,000. So, it'll be interesting to see how the Canberra Bridge project costs some 14 years later. (We're guessing quite a bit more.)

HERE'S WHAT THE BRUCE STREET BRIDGE LOOKS LIKE PRESENT DAY