UPDATED: Tri-City drivers await word when La. 182 will reopen

Drivers across the Tri-City area were hoping Wednesday will be the day when the La. 182 bridge, closed since Sunday afternoon by a crash, would be open again, freeing them from peak-time traffic congestion.
In the meantime, the Morgan City Police Department worked with the Department of Transportation and Development and Berwick police to develop a plan to open one lane of the old bridge during peak morning and evening traffic times.
The Berwick town government announced Tuesday that the repairs on the old bridge — the installation of a temporary section of guard rail — were complete and awaiting inspection by the DOTD Wednesday.
The town government’s Facebook page conveyed the news in a Facebook meme showing characters from the movie “Titanic.” One character slips another character a note reading, “Fix it temporarily so we can get to work and go home easier. Permanent fix later.”
Then, at 4:42 p.m. Tuesday: “Good news!! Jack was right!!”
The alternate plan developed Tuesday was to open one lane of the La. 182 bridge to eastbound traffic 6-8:30 a.m. Wednesday. On Tuesday, one lane was opened to westbound traffic 4-6:30 p.m.
The plan was to relieve congestion on the only remaining open lanes across Berwick Bay, the U.S. 90 bridge. That bridge has been restricted to one lane in either direction for months to accommodate maintenance and rehabilitation work.
Drivers in Berwick and Morgan City got a taste of what traffic was like before the new bridge was constructed.
The tie-ups were especially acute during the evening rush hour.
Berwick police began receiving reports about the crash on the old bridge just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday. A truck lost control of a trailer carrying concrete debris, which hit the concrete guard rail on the Berwick approach to the bridge.
The wheels came off the trailer and spilled debris on the highway. A section of the guard rail fell on a home on Third Street beneath the bridge, damaging the house and leaving chunks of concrete in the yard.
The home was occupied at the time, but no one was injured.
A Morgan City man was cited for careless operation with accident.
Accidents atop the bridges have plagued drivers and first responders in recent months, especially with restricted traffic resulting from the work on the new bridge. On Thursday, the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office reported working at two crashes on the new bridge at the same time.
Berwick Fire Chief Allen Rink drew an ironic laugh from the Town Council at a recent meeting when he suggested that the next fire station should be built atop the old bridge because his firefighters spent so much time working accidents there.
The St. Mary Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security posted a message Tuesday from Morgan City Mayor Lee Dragna:
“If you can’t drive safely ( not in a rush) and/or the speed limit then just stay at home or work till the high traffic times pass. We have put cones on the bridge to keep people in the proper lane ( do not change lanes).
“I understand this message is a little blunt but if we have to many issues we will not continue to open the old bridge to help convince our residents.
“Remember if you’re on your phone we will give you a ticket; if you’re speeding we will give you a ticket; if you drive crazy we will give you a ticket. If we are busy with traffic you will be detained until we have time to write the ticket.
“Remember this is not about just you, it’s about 10,000 other people too.”