Louisiana DOTD Replaces Rotted Vermilion River Bridge Crossbeams on Lake Martin Road

DOTD has seemingly responded to residents concerned with a bridge on Hwy 353 (Lake Martin Road) over the Vermilion River.

Keith Guidry shared the alarming photos on his Facebook page, pointing out that over half of the crossbeams on the Hwy 353 Vermilion River bridge were completely rotted to a point where they weren't even connected anymore.

Guidry said he was most concerned about the fact that a large number of 18-wheelers cross the bridge on a daily basis. His post was shared hundreds of times by other concerned citizens who regularly use the bridge.

As comments poured in, many others who use the bridge connecting St. Martin and Lafayette parishes were worried as well. KLFY's Neal Zerangue visited the bridge to report on the rotted beams and found Guidry's concerns to be true.

DOTD was reached for comment on the deteriorating structure and said there is nothing to worry about when it comes to the bridge due to the crossbeams being "secondary support and only affect lateral stability."

There are six piles that hold that primary load. We’ve looked at it, and it is safe. It’s still open. I think we’re going to go out this week and look at those cross braces and see if they can be repaired or replaced.

DOTD was reportedly seen a few times over the last week making repairs to the bridge and, according to KLFY, all crossbeams have been replaced as of Monday (Nov. 8).

Guidry applauded those who shared the photos and said he would personally inspect the work soon.

In the meantime, the bridge is safe and fully capable of handling all travel according to DOTD. See the full story here via KLFY.