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Damaged Mississippi River bridge to partially open Saturday

Posted at 2:46 PM, Nov 29, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-29 15:46:39-05

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Louisiana’s transportation department says it expects to partially reopen a damaged Mississippi River bridge on Saturday, nearly two months after it was shuttered and repairs began.

The Department of Transportation and Development says one lane of the Sunshine Bridge in Donaldsonville will reopen in each direction, with limitations, as repairs continue.

The bridge, northwest of New Orleans, was damaged by a barge collision Oct. 12. DOTD says work will continue around the clock to complete the repairs.

Load restrictions will be in place for the partial reopening, and the speed limit will be set at 45 miles per hour for all vehicles.

Crews have been installing concrete barriers on the westbound side of the bridge in preparation for the lane opening.

Full repairs are estimated to be complete in January.