State To Inspect Basin Bridge For Damage

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Crews from the state Department of Transportation this week will inspect the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge after finding damage caused by Friday's fiery tractor trailer pileup.

KATC-TV  reports Louisiana State Police plan to close the right lane of Interstate 10 eastbound near Whiskey Bay at 8 a.m. Thursday. The inspection is expected to last until noon.

Maintenance Engineer David Miller says the bridge's structural supports are strong but he says an initial inspection shows they need to replace the railings where one of the 18-wheelers hit and then tipped over.

Two people were killed when the driver of one of the 18-wheelers failed to slow down in traffic. That truck slammed into the back of another, causing a chain reaction crash involving four trailers.

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