The Claiborne Avenue Bridge, officially known as the Judge William Seeber Bridge, is a vertical lift bridge in New Orleans, Louisiana over the Industrial Canal. It was built by the Louisiana Department of Highways (later renamed the Department of Transportation and Development) and opened to vehicular traffic in 1957. The bridge has suffered numerous disasters: A barge hit the bridge in 1993, Hurricane Katrina damaged it in 2005, and a car plunged into the canal in 2008 due to a malfunction.
The Claiborne Avenue Bridge in lowered (vehicle traffic) position
The bridge carries four vehicular lanes, two in each direction, of North Claiborne Avenue, which here is also Louisiana Highway 39. It accommodates most marine traffic in the down position. The bridge is located in the 9th Ward of New Orleans, with the Upper 9th Ward on the western side and the Lower 9th Ward on the eastern or "lower" (down river) side. Along with St. Claude Avenue, it is one of the main links of New Orleans with the communities in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana such as Arabi and Chalmette. Many locals who regularly use the bridge are unaware of the bridge's official name.
Accidentsedit
Tugboat collisionedit
On May 28, 1993, the tugboat Chris was pushing an empty barge through the canal toward the Mississippi Riverlocks. As was common at the time, the tugboat captain would have to wait to enter the locks, and he was directed to the side of the canal to ground his barge to keep the waterway clear. However, at 3:30 p. m., the barge collided with a support pier of the bridge, causing a 145-foot (44 m) section of the bridge to collapse onto the western canal bank and onto the barge.[1] Two automobiles plummeted off of the bridge, killing one person and severely injuring two others. The waterway was closed to navigation for 2 days, and the bridge was closed for 2 months while the collapsed span was rebuilt. The concrete debris from the collapsed span was used to protect the new support pier from future collisions.
In 2005 Hurricane Katrina severely affected the areas on both sides of the bridge (see Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans), with the most extreme devastation on the Lower 9th Ward side. The bridge was out of service for months, left in the up position to accommodate Canal shipping, until it was restored to service in early 2006.
Crossing gates malfunctionedit
On May 20, 2008, 17-year veteran New Orleans Police Officer Tommie Felix was killed when his vehicle drove off the bridge and plunged into the canal while the bridge was in the raised position. Eyewitness accounts say that the gates which come down to indicate the bridge's closure were not functioning at the time, and several other cars came close to driving off the bridge but stopped short.[2]
Aerial view of the Industrial Canal and Claiborne Avenue Bridge
^Laura Maggi (May 20, 2008). "NOPD officer killed after car careened from open Industrial Canal drawbridge". Nola. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Claiborne Avenue Bridge.
March 16, 2024
claiborne, avenue, bridge, officially, known, judge, william, seeber, bridge, vertical, lift, bridge, orleans, louisiana, over, industrial, canal, built, louisiana, department, highways, later, renamed, department, transportation, development, opened, vehicula. The Claiborne Avenue Bridge officially known as the Judge William Seeber Bridge is a vertical lift bridge in New Orleans Louisiana over the Industrial Canal It was built by the Louisiana Department of Highways later renamed the Department of Transportation and Development and opened to vehicular traffic in 1957 The bridge has suffered numerous disasters A barge hit the bridge in 1993 Hurricane Katrina damaged it in 2005 and a car plunged into the canal in 2008 due to a malfunction Claiborne Avenue BridgeClaiborne Avenue Bridge in raised positionCoordinates29 58 09 N 90 01 33 W 29 969096 N 90 025734 W 29 969096 90 025734CarriesLA 39 Claiborne Avenue CrossesIndustrial CanalLocaleNew Orleans LouisianaOfficial nameJudge William Seeber BridgeCharacteristicsDesignvertical lift bridgeLongest span360 feet 110 m HistoryOpened1957Location Contents 1 Description 2 Accidents 2 1 Tugboat collision 2 2 Hurricane Katrina 2 3 Crossing gates malfunction 3 ReferencesDescription edit nbsp The Claiborne Avenue Bridge in lowered vehicle traffic positionThe bridge carries four vehicular lanes two in each direction of North Claiborne Avenue which here is also Louisiana Highway 39 It accommodates most marine traffic in the down position The bridge is located in the 9th Ward of New Orleans with the Upper 9th Ward on the western side and the Lower 9th Ward on the eastern or lower down river side Along with St Claude Avenue it is one of the main links of New Orleans with the communities in St Bernard Parish Louisiana such as Arabi and Chalmette Many locals who regularly use the bridge are unaware of the bridge s official name Accidents editTugboat collision edit On May 28 1993 the tugboat Chris was pushing an empty barge through the canal toward the Mississippi River locks As was common at the time the tugboat captain would have to wait to enter the locks and he was directed to the side of the canal to ground his barge to keep the waterway clear However at 3 30 p m the barge collided with a support pier of the bridge causing a 145 foot 44 m section of the bridge to collapse onto the western canal bank and onto the barge 1 Two automobiles plummeted off of the bridge killing one person and severely injuring two others The waterway was closed to navigation for 2 days and the bridge was closed for 2 months while the collapsed span was rebuilt The concrete debris from the collapsed span was used to protect the new support pier from future collisions Hurricane Katrina edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message In 2005 Hurricane Katrina severely affected the areas on both sides of the bridge see Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans with the most extreme devastation on the Lower 9th Ward side The bridge was out of service for months left in the up position to accommodate Canal shipping until it was restored to service in early 2006 Crossing gates malfunction edit On May 20 2008 17 year veteran New Orleans Police Officer Tommie Felix was killed when his vehicle drove off the bridge and plunged into the canal while the bridge was in the raised position Eyewitness accounts say that the gates which come down to indicate the bridge s closure were not functioning at the time and several other cars came close to driving off the bridge but stopped short 2 nbsp Aerial view of the Industrial Canal and Claiborne Avenue BridgeReferences edit Safety Recommendation PDF Laura Maggi May 20 2008 NOPD officer killed after car careened from open Industrial Canal drawbridge Nola Retrieved December 10 2012 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Claiborne Avenue Bridge Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Claiborne Avenue Bridge amp oldid 1169762951, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
