A big sign that the area is continuing to recover and rebuild from Hurricane Katrina was the official opening of one side of the new Interstate 10 Twin Span bridge Wednesday afternoon.

“This is a significant milestone,” state Sen. A.G. Crowe said to the crowd of residents and politicians gathered in the lobby of the Northshore Harbor Center.

“It shows we are coming back bigger and stronger,” said state Rep. Scott Simon.

Traffic goes across the wider and higher Twin Span Thursday morning which is now opened to traffic. (Staff Photo by Erik Sanzenbach)

The official ribbon cutting was to take place on the bridge itself, but the threat of bad weather forced the celebration to be moved to the Harbor Center. That did not dampen the enthusiasm and cheer of having at least one part of the new bridge opened for traffic.

State Rep. Greg Cromer called it the “third historic day in our recovery.” The first was Aug. 29, 2005, when Katrina hit the area and damaged the old bridge; the second day was the start of construction of the new span, and now the completion of one part of it.

The new span is higher, stronger and wider than its predecessor and is designed to last 100 years, because the bridge is the first structure to be built from high-performance concrete. When the entire bridge is completed in 2011, each side will be 3 lanes wide with a 12-foot shoulder, which will make traffic move smoothly. It will also mean more cars can get across if another hurricane forces the south shore to evacuate.

Most importantly, the new bridge will be a catalyst for economic development. Besides uniting the two communities of St. Tammany and New Orleans, the new bridge means an increase in shipping traffic according to state Sen. J.P. Morrell, who represents part of New Orleans East.

“The Twin Span represents a huge, huge part of our economy. It is essential for economical development,” Morrell said. He said that after the hurricane, trucks hauling freight from the port of New Orleans could not get across Lake Pontchartrain and that was an economic loss for the entire area.

Thursday morning, around 10 a.m. the Department of Transportation and Development opened the westbound span to traffic that was going east.

If that sounds confusing, the DOTD said there is a method to their madness. Motorists going from New Orleans to Slidell will get on the eastbound ramp of the new bridge. Then they will crossover to the new westbound lane, travel east, then cross back over to the eastbound ramp on the Northshore and exit back onto I-10 going east. Traffic going from Slidell to New Orleans will now use the old eastbound span to travel west.

In about a week, the DOTD will begin demolishing the old westbound lane, which took the worst damage from Katrina. It has been cobbled together with temporary links that has meant a lot of shaking and shivering for morning commuters from Slidell.

After the entire bridge is completed in 2011, the old eastbound section will be taken down except for a small part that will be used as a fishing pier by St. Tammany Parish.

“This is good for everybody,” said Slidell Mayor Ben Morris. “It will make traffic flow better and boost economic growth. This is one of the best things that has happened since the hurricane.”

After the speeches Wednesday afternoon, the weather finally cleared up and a convoy of cars escorted by the Louisiana State Police made its way to the bridge and officials were able to cut the ribbon on the new span.