Road conditions in some areas continue to deteriorate and bridges are closed throughout the parish.
The bridge at Bayou Dorcheat between Minden and Dixie Inn is now open, officials say, but others remain under water. Several roads are also still closed.
Cindy Dorfner, public information officer for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, says many of these bridges will remain closed until they can be inspected.
“If there is any damage, they won’t know until it is inspected,” she said. “They are prioritizing it and the water has to be low enough for them to inspect it. No one will be driving on them until all the bridges are inspected. Bridges that were overtopped or had high water under it are closed until they can assess the integrity of them.”
In the District 4 region, there are 2,000 bridges and more than 400 of those have been closed or affected by the flood waters, she said.
Highway 164 will be closed for months as waters continue to overtop the bridge between Sibley in Doyline.
Many of the roads closed have bridges that must be inspected before they can be opened.
Dorfner says even if it looks fine and the road is still closed, that likely means the bridge has not been inspected.
“Over 400 of the 2,000 have to be inspected by five people,” she said. “They’ve been working on it since Friday and there are inspectors from the state that have come up to help us.”
Dorfner did not give a timeframe as to when these bridges might be open, only saying they will be opened after they’ve been inspected and deemed safe. It is likely several will need repairs, she said, but nothing can be done until waters recede and the bridges have been inspected.
The latest information on road closures over the weekend include:
- Interstate 20 exit and entrance ramps at Dixie Inn (Exit 44) are still closed.
- LA 164 at Amos Cutoff Road
- LA 2 at LA 802
- LA 164 from Sibley to Horseshoe Loop
- LA 160 from Fire Tower Road to Cotton Valley
- LA 528 north of U.S. 371.
- LA 371 at Brushy Creek Bridge to Yellow Pine Road is closed.
Open are:
- 371 from Dixie Inn to Arkansas is open.
- Highway 79 is open.
- Highway 80
