by Malcolm Butler
Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker confirmed that the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) was contacted immediately following an incident on Monday afternoon at Cooktown Bridge.
A motorist traveling on Interstate 20 reported to the mayor’s office that a piece of concrete shattered their vehicle’s sunroof while driving under Cooktown Bridge.
Erin Buchanan, a spokesman for the Louisiana DOTD, replied to a request from the Lincoln Parish Journal Wednesday with the following statement.
“Evidently, the motorist contacted the mayor’s office, who then reached out to our Project Engineer’s office,” said Buchanan. “Our PE and the contractor went out to inspect the bridge and we did not find any evidence (spalling, cracks, etc) to indicate that a piece of concrete or other material had fallen from the structure.
“To our knowledge, the driver did not file any other type of report (police, etc). If the driver believes this to have occurred, they can always file a damage claim with the contractor, which is the entity responsible while a roadway is under contract for an active construction project.”
A follow up to Buchanan asked for clarification.
“We went out to inspect the bridge to see if we could determine what occurred,” said Buchanan. “We did not see any areas on the bridge that indicated a piece of the structure fell off. We did not see that. If we had, it would have immediately been dealt with.”
Other possibilities include the piece of concrete being throw from the bridge.
“This isn’t the first time we have had reports of things falling from a bridge,” said Buchanan. “This can happen. But our inspection couldn’t find a place that needed repairing. But it is an old bridge which is one reason a new one is being built.”
Buchanan advised motorists to contact the District DOTD office in Monroe immediately and directly (318-342-0100) for these types of incidents.
JB James Construction based out of Baton Rouge is the contractor on the construction of the new bridge.
The existing Cooktown Bridge was built in the early 1960s. It will be entirely replaced when the on-going construction of a new bridge is complete sometime in the next few years.
