A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck.
8-745: The Claiborne Avenue Bridge , officially known as the Judge William Seeber Bridge , is a vertical lift bridge in New Orleans, Louisiana over the Industrial Canal . It was built by the Louisiana Department of Highways (later renamed the Department of Transportation and Development) and opened to vehicular traffic in 1957. The bridge has suffered numerous disasters: A barge hit the bridge in 1993, Hurricane Katrina damaged it in 2005, and
16-550: A car plunged into the canal in 2008 due to a malfunction. The bridge carries four vehicular lanes, two in each direction, of North Claiborne Avenue , which here is also Louisiana Highway 39. It accommodates most marine traffic in the down position. The bridge is located in the 9th Ward of New Orleans , with the Upper 9th Ward on the western side and the Lower 9th Ward on the eastern or "lower" (down river) side. Along with St. Claude Avenue, it
24-454: A vertical lift are only required to be equal to the weight of the deck, whereas bascule bridge counterweights must weigh several times as much as the span being lifted. As a result, heavier materials can be used in the deck, and so this type of bridge is especially suited for heavy railroad use. The biggest disadvantage to the vertical-lift bridge (in comparison with many other designs) is the height restriction for vessels passing under it, due to
32-456: Is one of the main links of New Orleans with the communities in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana such as Arabi and Chalmette . Many locals who regularly use the bridge are unaware of the bridge's official name. Vertical clearance of waterway when down: 40'Ft. ? Vertical clearance of waterway when raised: ? On May 28, 1993, the tugboat Chris was pushing an empty barge through the canal toward
40-497: The Mississippi River locks . As was common at the time, the tugboat captain would have to wait to enter the locks, and he was directed to the side of the canal to ground his barge to keep the waterway clear. However, at 3:30 p. m., the barge collided with a support pier of the bridge, causing a 145-foot (44 m) section of the bridge to collapse onto the western canal bank and onto the barge. Two automobiles plummeted off of
48-445: The bridge, killing one person and severely injuring two others. The waterway was closed to navigation for 2 days, and the bridge was closed for 2 months while the collapsed span was rebuilt. The concrete debris from the collapsed span was used to protect the new support pier from future collisions. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina severely affected the areas on both sides of the bridge (see Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans ), with
56-417: The gates which come down to indicate the bridge's closure were not functioning at the time, and several other cars came close to driving off the bridge but stopped short. Vertical lift bridge The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swing-span bridges . Generally speaking, they cost less to build for longer moveable spans. The counterweights in
64-475: The most extreme devastation on the Lower 9th Ward side. The bridge was out of service for months, left in the up position to accommodate Canal shipping, until it was restored to service in early 2006. On May 20, 2008, 17-year veteran New Orleans Police Officer Tommie Felix was killed when his vehicle drove off the bridge and plunged into the canal while the bridge was in the raised position. Eyewitness accounts say that
#693306