Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Belle Chasse Bridge topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Belle Chasse bridge nearing partial acceptance; liquidated damages approaching $3 million
Summary
DOTD project manager told lawmakers the approaches to the Belle Chasse (Industrial Canal) bridge were reconstructed and monitored; partial acceptance was expected in mid‑March and liquidated damages had accrued at roughly $2.7 million through January, with the penalty rate rising to $15,000 per day after Feb. 24.
Legislators pressed Department of Transportation and Development officials on the delayed Belle Chasse bridge over the Industrial Canal, and DOTD presented a status update on approach settling and accrued liquidated damages.
What DOTD reported Nick Olivier, DOTD project manager for the Belle Chasse work, told the committee that the bridge approaches (not the bridge span) had been removed and rebuilt after settling was detected. "The contractor constructed the new approaches approximately an inch high, and they're expecting no more than an inch below what's the requirement to have settled," Olivier said. He added the approaches were "about, today, about a quarter inch high," and the contractor expects settlement to remain within the specification tolerances by final acceptance.
Liquidated damages and revenues Committee members asked about liquidated damages from the contractor's missed deadlines. DOTD told the panel that the contract originally imposed $10,000 per day in liquidated damages and that as of Feb. 24 the amount increased to $15,000 per day. DOTD estimated roughly $2.7 million had been collected through January and that the partial acceptance scheduled for mid‑March would produce approximately $3 million in damages at that milestone if the contractor had not yet achieved partial acceptance.
Use of damages and oversight Lawmakers asked whether the damages are in hand and whether the proceeds could be used to reduce tolls or shorten the concession term. The department said most of the damages assessed to date have been paid, and that proceeds are subject to the authority established in statute and recent legislation governing allocation of project revenues; distribution questions will be addressed consistent with the joint-transportation-authority framework.
Safety and schedule Olivier told the committee the approaches fall within allowable vertical tolerances and are being monitored. The department did not provide a firm final-acceptance date; DOTD staff said partial acceptance in mid‑March was anticipated depending on the contractor meeting outstanding nonconformance reports.
Ending Legislators said they will continue to monitor the project, and DOTD said it would keep the committee updated on final acceptance, tolling, and use of liquidated damages.
