All lanes on a high-rise interstate bridge in New Orleans have been reopened ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, following last week's tire fire that charred three girders, weakening the bridge's support structure.
The Times-Picayune reports that the two eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 that had remained closed since Thursday morning reopened Tuesday afternoon. A Wednesday night tire fire had prompted the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to close the bridge's eastbound span over the Industrial Canal during emergency repair work, but the rightmost lane was reopened Friday.
The department issued a news release Tuesday saying Boh Brothers construction crew sufficiently patched the bridge for all lanes to reopen.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.