Louisiana TIMED program opens bids for three project segments

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) received bids totaling more than $31 million in April 2003 for three TIMED construction project segments.

"The accelerated schedule of the TIMED Program has DOTD opening bids for construction every month over the next few years to ensure all construction is underway by 2008," said Buddy Porta, DOTD TIMED Program spokesperson.

With a bid received on April 16 of $14.9 million, R.E. Heidt Construction Company, Inc. was the apparent low bidder on the segment of U.S. 171 between Gillis and Ragley. Bids were received on two other segments on April 30. With a bid of $13.4 million, James Corporation was the apparent low bidder on another segment of U.S. 171 between Longville and DeRidder and with a bid of $2.7 million, Huey Stockstill was the apparent low bidder on a segment of LA 3241 between Interstate 12 and Bush.

Construction on each of these three projects is scheduled to begin later this year.

The TIMED (Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development) Program is the single largest transportation program in state history. The $3.5 billion improvement program includes widening 500 miles of state highways to four lanes on 11 project corridors, widening and/or new construction on three major bridges and improvements to both the Port of New Orleans and Louis Armstrong International Airport.

The program is designed to enhance economic development in Louisiana through an investment in transportation projects.

DOTD partnership nominated for award

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development recently announced that one of its partnership efforts, the Southern Cameron Parish Salt Marsh Protection and Recovery Project, has been nominated for the nationally recognized Coastal America Partnership Award.

The project was initiated to lessen transportation impacts by saving an eroding coastal marsh, utilizing a technique known as plowed terracing. The project is located on the East Cove Unit of the Cameron Parish National Wildlife Refuge near LA 27 in southern Cameron Parish.

LTRC provides immediate assistance to DOTD in superload movement

The heaviest load that has ever crossed a Louisiana bridge was recently moved across the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Mammoet Inc. moved the 2.46 million-pound load that was destined for the Shell plant in Norco.

Although DOTD had only one week's lead time, LTRC was able to assist by setting up equipment to take field measurements that would assess the effects of the abnormal load on the bridge. Because of their close proximity to the load movement, Drs. Bob Bruce, Paul Ziehl and Tony Lamanna of Tulane University in New Orleans were selected to head the project.

Crews began setting up instrumentation the Friday before the Sunday move day. Some were on the bridge from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon. To measure deflection and cracking, equipment was set up for strain gauge and acoustic emission data acquisition.

Data is still being compiled and analyzed. Although test results reveal that the load had more impact on the spillway than normal traffic, no critical damage was detected. The load's owner hired ABMB Engineers Inc. to perform a study on the load's effect on the bridge for insurance purposes.

Another large load had crossed the bridge approximately one week before; however, that load movement did not have enough lead time for any data collection, so the extent of its effects are unknown.