With the opening of one span of the new Interstate 10 Twin Span bridge last week, St. Tammany residents on the eastern side of the parish are inching ever closer to realizing their dream of a public fishing pier.

The proposal to turn a 2,000-foot section of the northern end of the eastbound span into a public recreation pier was accepted by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development last November. In June, the parish council gave Parish President Kevin Davis authorization to purchase the bridge for $17,100.

The price tag is the estimated salvage value of the materials. According to federal law the property cannot be donated, so the state must agree to sell it for that amount.

This aerial photograph shows the new section of the Twin Span, in the foreground of the above photo. Demolition of the westbound span is set to begin in the next few weeks, and the proposed fishing pier will utilize about 2,000 feet of the former eastbound span of the bridge, currently being utilized by westbound traffic. (Photo courtesy Pat Quigley/Gulf Coast Air Photo)

Parish spokesman Tom Beale says while the project is still in the design process, work won’t actually begin until both eastbound and westbound spans of the new bridge are completed.

“We’re playing a waiting game right now,” said Beale. “There are a lot of ideas on the table, but it’s moving slowly because there is still a lot of time to make decisions.”

The decision to use either one or both of the existing spans will have to wait until other issues are resolved first. Specifically, Beale said, since the new elevated spans were built directly adjacent to the new ones, a portion of the old spans where they connect to the Northshore end will have to be demolished before the new spans can even connect back to the interstate.

Just how much needs to be demolished will be determined by Boh Brothers Construction, which is constructing the project.

That decision could have an impact on the length of the access bridges that would be needed for the public to get out onto the pier.

Beale said a number of parish engineers are involved, but it was unclear when or if the services of landscape architects or other similar professionals would be engaged.

Plans for parking, lighting, restroom facilities and green space on the shoreline are all under consideration.

Once the new spans are completed, plans can be finalized to determine the best use of the older spans, how to gain access, and how much of either span will be used.