A tractor-trailer hauling an over-height load on northbound Interstate 49 in Lafayette, La., last January 3rd, discovered that the 15-ft, 6-in. vertical clearance at the I-10 eastbound overpass was not quite enough. The load, reported to be an excavator, tore into the bottom of the nearly 60-year-old structure, leaving three damaged girders, dangling rebar and chunks of shattered concrete in its wake.
From the moment the Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development (DOTD) shut down the interchange pending a full damage assessment, speed was of the essence to restore I-10 to full capacity. With an estimated 90,000 vehicles passing through the I-10/I-49 junction each day, says Mark Arceneaux, DOTD area engineer, “this is a major interchange in the Acadiana region.”
