Want a free bridge? Louisiana giving away historic Highway 90 spans, but there’s a catch

Louisiana is on the hunt for someone to take, for free, four dilapidated but historic U.S. 90 bridges that are often used during hurricane evacuations and I-10 traffic snarls. But who, if anyone, would be able to take them over?

With a stipulation requiring enough of the bridge to be kept together to maintain its historical significance, the pool of interested parties is highly limited. Applicants would need to have the means to make a removal happen and the space to place the re-purposed bridge.

The bridges, which cross over the Pearl River and date back to the 1930s, have been closed to motorists since May 2022 after Louisiana declared them structurally unsound. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development says replacing them will cost upwards of $350 million— an amount officials have yet to secure.

While they wait for the money to materialize, Louisiana DOTD officials put out the open call in hopes of saving money and taking a step toward moving the project along.

The four bridges are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places as well as a program that opens federal money for “adaptive re-use,” money that the state would give to whoever is willing to move them.

What about Mississippi?

One agency that could have the capacity to take Louisiana up on its offer, and has a vested interest in moving the project along, is its next door neighbor.

Even though the bridges and their repair timeline are under the purview of Louisiana officials, their closure has still affected Mississippi and its residents.

Mississippi Department of Transportation spokesperson Anna Ehrgott said the state’s residents have voiced concerns about the increased traffic they face on Interstate 10 and the loss of the Pearl River bridges as hurricane evacuation routes.

“When accidents and significant congestion occur near the I-10 East Pearl River bridge at the Mississippi/Louisiana state line, motorists are without a convenient detour,” Ergott said.

“If an accident forces the closure of I-10 near the state line, drivers must detour north of I-10 to access I-59 via two-lane roads, adding significant time and mileage.”

However, with its own bridges to worry to about, Mississippi isn’t interested in claiming Louisiana’s bridges for themselves.

“MDOT does not currently have a use for Louisiana’s U.S. 90 bridges,” Ehrgott said.

Ehrgott said MDOT has offered some of Mississippi’s historic state bridges for sale and relocation over the years and acknowledged it’s rare to find someone to accept such an offer.

MDOT currently has five historic bridges the agency is offering up for free, according to the department’s website.

Who else could take it?

This isn’t the first time Louisiana has offered up its historic bridges for free, according to DOTD spokesperson Daniel Gitlin.

In recent years, the state auctioned off Bayou Teche Bridge in Oaklawn and the old Leo Kerner Swing Bridge to the public in hopes of having them re-purposed.

In the case of the Bayou Teche Bridge, the state managed to find a willing and qualified participant. Bruce Saucier, who owns land near the bridge’s original location, partnered with the state to remove and keep a portion of the bridge on his property, relocating it to a pond on his land.

City officials in Lafitte also expressed interest in take the Leo Kerner Bridge to use as a pier, though those plans never materialized.

Applicants looking to take over the Pearl River bridges will need to be credible, said Gitlin, and have the means to preserve the structure. Still, hopes are high that someone will be up for the task.

“The interest in the Pearl River bridges is outstanding,” Gitlin said.

“That will likely lead to some viable candidates.”