I-10 bridge in Louisiana reopens

If you're planning to drive through Louisiana soon, things should be a little easier: An I-10 bridge connecting New Orleans and Slidell over Lake Pontchartrain fully reopened this morning after being damaged by Katrina.

Some sections of the five-mile concrete bridge were ripped out, while others shifted as much as five feet out of place. To repair the bridge, crews took undamaged sections from the westbound side and used them to patch the eastbound side, and then they filled in the gaps on the westbound side with metal decking.

The project was on an extremely fast track, the NY Times reported: Bids on the repair job were taken within 11 days of the hurricane, a decision was made the same day the bids were reviewed and workers began the repair job the next morning. The repaired bridge will stand until a new bridge is finished in about three years.

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Photo from The New York Times