Want a historic bridge? Louisiana is giving away 4 of them
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The West Pearl River bridge is one of four crossing channels of the Pearl River that Louisiana is looking to offload. It was built in 1933 with a vertical lift span-drive design. Photo: DOTD
Ever looked at Louisiana's historic bridges and thought, "gosh, I'd like to have one for myself"?
Why it matters: Now you can.
Zoom in: Louisiana's Department of Transportation and Development is looking for someone who might be interested in one (or all!) of the Highway 90 bridges crossing channels of the Pearl River.
- There are a handful of stipulations, like the new owner can't use the bridges for vehicular traffic, and they couldn't turn the nearly century-old bridges into scrap, but in the end, nabbing one would be a steal.
- But "the bridges will be removed, one way or another," DOTD spokesman Daniel Gitlin tells Axios New Orleans.
The fine print: Legally, DOTD isn't allowed to give the bridges away for free, so a new owner would be responsible for what the state has decided it would earn in salvage fees.
- But those fees, Gitlin says, wouldn't have to be paid up front and instead could be shaved off the demolition costs, which the state will pay.
Between the lines: The bridges, which served as an important connector between Mississippi and Louisiana, were taken out of commission in 2022 because of structural deterioration.
- For now, there's no money to replace the bridges.
What's next: Gitlin didn't know how many people have already applied, but those interested in taking over a Highway 90 bridge from the state have until November to turn in applications, including plans for managing their lead paint, Gitlin tells Axios New Orleans.
- "To be seriously considered, an applicant has to have a detailed plan for removing the bridges from the water … then explain how they plan to use them," Gitlin says.
The bottom line: The bridges "are meaningful to people along the coast," Gitlin says. "The bridge designs are not used anymore — and they represent a time in Louisiana when we were building, even during the Great Depression."