Tammany Trace's Lacombe bridge finally opens to traffic

Bike riders, runners and walkers on the Tammany Trace now have a complete path from Abita Springs to Thompson Road outside Slidell for the first time in months.

Under blue skies and cool temperatures Tuesday morning, St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis and other parish officials officially opened the new Tammany Trace Lacombe drawbridge that spans Bayou Lacombe.

“This is a great day for the trace,” Davis said. “The bridge connects the entire 28 miles of the trace.”

Last year, the old railroad drawbridge that crossed the bayou was deemed unsafe for use and had to be shut down, cutting off residents from using the trace all the way to Slidell.

The parish contracted with Northshore Engineering and McDonald Construction of Slidell to design and build the 80-foot drawbridge, which is actually called a swing bridge because the whole section moves sideways to allow boat traffic on Bayou Lacombe to pass through.

The new span cost $1.9 million to construct and replaces the old Illinois Railroad swing bridge used for the past 100 years.

The trace was started in 1992 when the parish bought the railroad right-of-way from the Illinois Railroad.

Today, the trace has 28 miles and over 270,000 bikers, runners and walkers use the Trace yearly.

Davis said the trace has several projects in play for the future. By October of next year, the parish will have a trailhead built near Camp Salmen, and then from there, the trace has plans to extend all the way to Heritage Park in Slidell.

The new swing bridge will be operated by a Tammany Trace ranger who will be on duty in a building next to the bridge every day from dawn to dusk. The bridge will remain open during the night hours, Davis said. Trace officials said they plan to build a permanent building for the bridge operator and expand it into a Lacombe Trailhead in the future.

Tammany Trace Director Lisa Maddox said the new bridge brings east and west St. Tammany Parish closer together.

“We are pleased to have a functional bridge which will allow boats full access to the bayou, as well as allowing bikers and pedestrians to cross the bayou and continue on the trace,” Maddox said.