Photo du Jour: I-10 Escambia Bay Bridge

The Fair Family made a quick run over to Pensacola on Thursday afternoon to meet a cousin's newborn. The first of the two new I-10 bridges across Escambia Bay re-opened about three months ago after the original bridge was damaged from the storm surge of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. All traffic has been diverted to the new bridge which will permanently be the eastbound-bound bridge once the older bridges have been demolished and the second new bridge has been constructed. The Louisiana DOTD is employing a similar strategy with the new I-10 bridges crossing Lake Pontchartrain--the first new bridge will be used by two-way traffic while the original bridges are demolished and the other bridge is constructed.

The eastbound ramp to I-10 at US90 (Scenic Highway) has also finally been re-opened which had been closed since the original bridges reopened with limited capacity. From what I saw Thursday and Friday it doesn't appear that the long traffic jam that became commonplace back for two miles or so during rush hours with the temporary bridge fix is happening anymore. I suppose this post is just an FYI--you know if say, you have to suddenly go east for some weather-related reason in the next couple of months. Or more positively, when you make your weekend getaway to the beaches of Navarre, or Fort Walton Beach, or Destin . . .