HUEY P. LONG BRIDGE

 

JEFFERSON PARISH

For many years, the Huey P. Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish was the bridge no one wanted to cross. The existing roadway on each side of the two-track railroad truss consisted of a narrow 18-ft roadway (two 9-ft lanes). With the widening project completed in 2013, the bridge consists of three 11-ft wide lanes with a 2-ft inside shoulder and an 8-ft wide outside shoulder on each side of the railroad truss.

Eustis Engineering Services, L.L.C. has been involved in all four phases of the widening of this historic bridge beginning in 1986 with an evaluation of the existing pile foundations. Geotechnical work for the widening project began in 2004 and 2005 with additional services being performed in 2006 for the railroad modifications and in 2008 for the approaches and bridge deck widening. Our services continue to this day.

Eustis Engineering performed soil test borings for the bridge approaches and also provided geotechnical designs and construction phase services. Although this project is not a Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) project, a comprehensive test pile program was implemented including static and dynamic testing of driven piles. Instead of large pile groups, post-grouted drilled shafts were used on the Mississippi River battures to support heavy loads. This is the first time this foundation scheme was used by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD). Eustis Engineering participated in the design and construction inspections of these post-grouted drilled shafts.

Eustis Engineering provided critical geotechnical design input to the test pile program in Phase IV to allow shortening of job pile lengths. This allowed the schedule to be compressed and lowered cost for the project. In addition, Eustis Engineering partnered with the structural engineer, the state, and the contractor to keep the project moving that included round-the-clock drilled shaft construction inspections.