Huey P. Long Bridge Widening

The Huey P. Long Bridge project in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, expanded U.S. 90 to three lanes in each direction while maintaining the active railway that also crosses the Mississippi River. To support construction of the new permanent side trusses, Hillsdale Fabricators supplied approximately 1,800 tons of temporary lifting structures and falsework.

The steel was fabricated and preassembled at Hillsdale Fabricators’ river facility in St. Louis, Missouri, then shipped by barge to the site. Positioned on barges below the bridge, the temporary steel supported the side trusses as they were hoisted vertically and then moved horizontally into place using a precision roller system. Once secured, the steel was detached, lowered and reused for subsequent trusses, improving safety and minimizing disruption along one of New Orleans’ busiest river crossings.