I-10 Twin Span work resumes

By Erik Sanzenbach
St. Tammany News
Published on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 9:40 AM CST

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The Louisiana Department of Transportation Development announced Tuesday it has permitted Boh Bros. Construction to resume work on the area of the new Interstate 10 Twin Span bridge, where an October accident killed one worker.

On Oct. 30, a concrete girder rolled off the bridge, dragging 10 workers into Lake Pontchartrain. One worker, Eric Blackmon from Florida, was killed, and the other nine were rescued. The workers had been strapped to the girder for safety reasons.

According to authorities, Blackmon was trapped under the girder and died by asphyxiation.

Work on the new bridge was halted for six days, but then the DOTD gave Boh Bros. permission to work on other parts of the bridge while DOTD and the Occupational Safety and Health Agency continued their investigation into the accident.

According to a Tuesday press release from the DOTD, Boh Bros. can resume work at the site of the accident with “additional bracing” that will keep the girders from rolling off the end caps of the pilings.

DOTD Assistant Secretary Gordon Nelson said the accident is still being investigated, but so far, the cause has not been determined.

“We are confident that these new procedures will prevent girders from rolling, regardless of the cause,” Nelson said.

DOTD spokesman, Brendan Rush confirmed Tuesday that Eric Blackmon’s family has filed a civil suit over the accident, but he said the DOTD would not comment on any pending legal action.

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