Louisiana
There’s no money to reopen Highway 90 linking LA and MS. More elected officials urge action.
Another group of St. Tammany Parish elected officials have joined in the push to speed the reopening of a stretch of U.S. 90 at the Louisiana-Mississippi state line.
Commonly known as Highway 90, it runs across south Louisiana but has been closed near the border with Mississippi since 2022 because of the bad condition of a series of bridges that cross various legs of the Pearl River.
The St. Tammany Parish Council recently passed a resolution urging the state Department of Transportation and Development to move quickly to replace the bridges and reopen the stretch of highway. It also asks state and federal authorities to designate Highway 90 as an “auxiliary hurricane evacuation route.”
The state highway department closed it after inspectors said the bridges, which date to the early 1930s, were structurally unsound and unsafe for vehicles.
The highway department has said it plans to replace the bridges, but doesn’t have a timeline. Money, of course, is the big issue: The highway department says replacing all the bridges could cost upwards of $350 million.
The West Pearl River bridge on U.S. 90, that connects Louisiana and Mississippi, has been closed for more than a year.
The Parish Council’s resolution, adopted at the council’s September meeting, follows similar urgings by the northshore’s legislative delegation. Area elected officials have pointed out that Highway 90 is an especially important alternative east-west roadway when wrecks snarl the nearby Interstate 10 and that it is also a vital route during hurricane season.
“Right now there’s just not any money available,” DOTD spokesperson Daniel Gitlin said.
Gitlin said DOTD understands the project is important and is working to expedite the design, but that at some point money will have to be allocated for it.
“We are fully engaged and cooperating. We’re open to any conversations,” he added.
In August, DOTD put out a notice seeking possible takers for the old bridges. Since they are in the state’s Historic Bridge Inventory, there is federal money available for companies or agencies that will commit to removing the bridges and finding a new use for them.
The St. Tammany Council’s resolution, sponsored by Council members David Cougle, Pat Burke and Jeff Corbin, notes that the council has no authority over DOTD but adds that it does speak for the people of St. Tammany.
The resolution was adopted in a 13-0 vote.