Louisiana

Louisiana wants to give away Highway 90 bridges to be repurposed

Published

1 year ago

August 17, 2024

Louisiana wants to give away Highway 90 bridges to be repurposed

PEARLINGTON, Ms. (WVUE) – Residents in a small Mississippi community believe their town is dying a slow death as a major artery connecting Louisiana and Mississippi remains closed for more than two years, and the state in charge of the closed road says it’s seeking potential takers for historic yet unnavigable bridges.

Highway 90, which serves as an eastbound exit from New Orleans to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, has been shuttered since May 2022 when inspections found four bridges to be structurally unsafe for drivers.

Pearlington, Mississippi sits on the edge of the state line, along the thoroughfare where cars used to pass from the other side of the water on a daily basis.

“Pearlington is a small town of about 1,000 families, and it is reducing every day,” said Michael Mavenyengwa, owner of the Pearlington Rocket Express.

His business used to function as a gas station and convenience store, but he said he hasn’t been able to afford to keep the pumps running.

“Due to that closure, we have experienced a major loss of business. We have lost maybe 50 to 75 percent of our business,” Mavenyengwa said. “The income we are having, the problems we are having, cannot sustain maintaining the pumps and paying all the bills we need to pay.”

“My business is dying.”

He said Pearlington has many older residents who would often take 90 to the hospital in Slidell.

When accidents on I-10 cause backups or closures of the highway, there is no other way to reach Louisiana or vice versa without traveling to Picayune, Mississippi.

“We feel like we are Americans like everybody else and pay taxes, and we are here trying to survive. It’s where we want to live,” Mavenyengwa said. “We need help here. Because 5 years, 10 years or 2028, maybe this town will be extinct.”

Louisiana is in charge of the bridges, and state and local leaders have often called for an expedited replacement.

But the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) said the replacement would cost over $300 million, and the state currently has a backlog of road repairs and infrastructure upgrades totaling more than $18 billion.

The state said it is seeking proposals for the removal of four bridges, all built in the 1930s: West Pearl River Bridge, West Middle Pearl River Bridge, Middle Pearl River Bridge, and East Middle Pearl River Bridge.

Each would cost approximately $520,000 to demolish, which the state will eventually have to do if an entity can’t be found to remove and repurpose the bridges.

“We need to get these bridges removed from our waterways,” said Daniel Gitlin with DOTD. “If they’re not going to be fixed, if they can’t be reconditioned, we cannot just leave them out there in the water, these are protected environmental waters.”

Gitlin said DOTD is currently in the environmental studies phase of the bridge replacement project.

Latest estimates put the replacement of the bridges sometime in 2028, but it’s unclear whether the state remains on that timeline still.

“This may be an opportunity for local governments, maybe St. Tammany, or some of the cities down there, to say, ‘Hey, we would like to relocate this to a public park,’” Gitlin said. “The state will not only give the bridges away, but they will pay for the cost of basically what it would take.”

MORE

DOTD closes multiple bridges in the New Orleans region

Pearl River bridge closures choking traffic, businesses east of New Orleans

For Pearlington residents, a fix may be awhile away. Gitlin said patch repairs to the bridges, which are more than 90 years old, would only extend their lifespan by a year or two.

Marine traffic has to be considered in the replacement, and so the ideal scenario would be one long spanning bridge over the water, he said.

But it comes down to securing the funding to do so.

“When you’re talking about state funding and you’re talking about groups like the transportation committees in Baton Rouge, they’re going to be looking at the long-term effect of how we spend our money and what we can do for the community,” Gitlin said.

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Related Topics:90 bridge closures DOTD environment Featured giving away highway Hwy LA Louisiana remove replacement repurpose

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Jan. 3, 2026

Published

7 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

18-21-40-53-60, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

0-9-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

3-0-6-9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

8-7-5-3-0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Easy 5 numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

12-18-20-29-34

Check Easy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

01-14-18-20-27-41

Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Dec. 28, 2025

Published

6 days ago

December 29, 2025

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 28, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

9-7-6

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

9-0-5-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

3-3-8-8-8

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

Louisiana

Kyla Oldacre and Madison Booker lead No. 2 Texas over Southeastern Louisiana 120-38

Published

7 days ago

December 28, 2025

Press Room

Kyla Oldacre and Madison Booker lead No. 2 Texas over Southeastern Louisiana 120-38

AUSTIN, Texas — Senior Kyla Oldacre scored a career-high 22 points and Madison Booker added 20 to help No. 2 Texas finish its non-conference schedule undefeated with a 120-38 victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday.

Texas (15-0) has won 34 straight home games. First-half scoring bursts of 26-0 and 21-0 secured the victory early.

The Longhorns scored 68 points in the paint against an opponent that used no player taller than six feet in its rotation. The 6-6 Oldacre hit 9 of 10 shots from the field and 4 of 5 free throws in 19 minutes off the bench.

A starting lineup that includes four guards did not help the Lady Lions avoid ball-handling and passing mistakes. They committed 30 turnovers that Texas converted into 50 points. Twenty turnovers came in the first half before Texas pulled out of its full-court defense.

Jordan Lee scored 16 for Texas, including four 3-pointers. Breya Cunningham and Bryanna Preston each scored 12, with Preston also producing three of the Longhorns’ 16 steals. Rori Harmon had six assists and no turnovers, increasing her string to 57 and three over the last six games.

Eryn McKinzie led Southeastern Louisiana (2-8) with 13 points. The 38 points scored by the Lady Lions is their second-lowest production this season. They lost to LSU 115-26 on Nov. 6.

Texas beat nationally ranked UCLA, South Carolina, North Carolina and Baylor, using a seven-player rotation that was missing the injured Ashton Judd, Aaliyah Crump and Bryanna Preston. Judd and Preston have returned, but Crump, a freshman who averaged 13 points in her first five games, missed the last 10 with a foot injury.

Southeastern Louisiana guard Eryn McKinzie (3) is defended by Texas guard Ashton Judd (21) and forward Teya Sidberry (32) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Austin, Texas. Credit: AP/Stephen Spillman