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State crews are at work repairing the Bayou Ramos bridge, fixing damage inflicted by a barge strike four years ago.
But the reopening of the La. 182 bridge over Berwick Bay, originally set for this fall, has been pushed back. After a complete closure lasting more than two years, the structure formally known as the Long-Allen Bridge is now expected to reopen sometime next summer.
The estimated completion date for the Bayou Ramos work is now January 2026.
Long-Allen Bridge
The bridge, which was first opened in 1933, was closed for what was described as an extensive rehabilitation in May 2023. As recently as May, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development anticipated an autumn 2025 reopening.
“The reasoning behind the extended completion is due to the fact that working to rehab historical structures can often reveal additional work that needs to be done,” DOTD spokeswoman Diedra Druilhet said in an email.
“This is the case with the La. 182 bridge. Crews ran into additional work that needed to be done. This work was not part of the original scope of work, but it needed to be addressed.”
The La. 182 bridge has been undergoing a $25.9 million rehabilitation by Southern Road & Bridge LLC of Palm Harbor, Florida. The project includes steel repairs, cleaning, replacing two deck spans and providing a protective texture for the exposed concrete portions of the bridge.
The bridge was also painted, replacing the familiar rusty brown color with the same silver-gray paint that is now on the larger U.S. 90 bridge.
The older bridge, which has one lane in either direction, served as the only Berwick Bay crossing for three years beginning in 2019. The four-lane U.S. 90 bridge was closed for a $12 million maintenance project that was delayed by COVID, material shortages and repeated hurricane threats.
The U.S. 90 bridge reopened in 2022, only months before the La. 182 bridge was closed for its rehabilitation.
The old bridge’s closure put a crimp in what had become a source of monthly Saturday entertainment. On those Saturdays, the bridge was closed to motor vehicles and opened to bikers and walkers.
There are also hopes that the bridge will one day connect Berwick and Morgan City walking trails.
In 2021, when the new bridge was still closed, the La. 182 bridge carried nearly 13,000 vehicles a day, according to a state traffic count.
Bayou Ramos
The repairs on the La. 182 bridge at Bayou Ramos are expected to cost $1.7 million.
The work to fix damage caused by the barge strike has been delayed by the need to deal with the utilities that the bridge carries, Druilhet said.
Those utilities were the first warning sign when the bridge was hit two days before Christmas 2021.
The vessel Mollye D was pushing six hopper barges on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in the early morning, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
As the captain tried to counter the 675-foot tow’s unexpected swing to the left, the lead barge hit the bridge. The captain said later that he didn’t realize the barge hit the bridge and didn’t report a strike.
But, the NTSB report said, water, gas and electrical lines on the bridge were ruptured, setting off alarms at utility companies.
Utility workers who responded to the alarms were the first to report the strike to the Coast Guard.
Since the strike, La. 182 traffic on the bridge has been limited to a single lane. A traffic light determines whether it’s the turn of westbound or eastbound traffic to cross.

A Morgan City police officer who spotted an ATM burglary suspect while off duty received a letter of commendation Tuesday for his work in a case that stretched far beyond St. Mary Parish.
Police Chief Chad M. Adams presented Officer Ryan Aucoin with the letter at Tuesday’s Morgan City Council meeting.
Adams said that on Sept. 12, Aucoin had finished his shift and was on his way home. He spotted a vehicle matching the description of a suspect vehicle involved in a series of ATM burglaries.
“Despite having completed his shift, Officer Aucoin took immediate action to investigate,” the Police Department said in a Facebook post. “He coordinated with law enforcement agencies outside his jurisdiction to initiate a traffic stop, setting into motion a series of events that led to the arrest of multiple Venezuelan nationals affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang.”
The investigation resulted in the seizure of a large sum of money and the disruption of this international gang’s criminal activities across several states, Adams said.
The Morgan City Police Department’s Detective Division, working alongside local, state, and federal partners, subsequently executed multiple search warrants and arrests throughout Louisiana and beyond.
The case had links to Lafayette, Chicago and Florida, Adams told the council.
“They thought we were a soft target here in Morgan City,” Adams said. “We proved them wrong.”
During the event, Adams also recognized the Detective Division with a Positive Image award for their instrumental role in spearheading the investigation and coordinating efforts with partnering agencies.
“Officer Aucoin’s proactive efforts, vigilance, and commitment to public safety reflect great credit upon himself and the Morgan City Police Department,” the Facebook post said.
Receiving recognition at the meeting were Sgt. Dustin Fromenthal, who recommended Aucoin for the commendation; Detective Khairick Hartley; Detective Jeramiah Rink; Sgt. Brandon Billiot; and Detective Lt. Rick Hartley.
Also Tuesday:
—Although final passage of the 2025-26 city government budget was on Tuesday’s agenda, council members put off action until after a 3 p.m. Nov. 6 workshop at the Recreation Department’s conference room at 915 Everett St.
The budget could come up for a public hearing and passage vote at the council’s Nov. 18 meeting. That meeting has been set for a week earlier because the usual fourth-Tuesday date falls during Thanksgiving week.
The proposed 2026 budget anticipates revenue of about $61.3 million and spending of $60.5 million.
In his budget message, Mayor Lee Dragna said the revenue figure is $4.2 million lower than the 2025 budget.
“However, a considerable amount of grant monies that were expected to be received in 2025 in connection with the PHMSA Natural Gas Distribution Grant will not be received until 2026,” Dragna wrote.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration awarded a $7 million grant to the Morgan City government in 2023.
—The council passed two ordinances. One bans the use of barbecue grills indoors and prohibits grills from being “used, kindled or stored” on any balcony, under any overhang or within 10 feet of any structure at multifamily homes.
A second ordinance has a new range of charges for four LED wattages for security lights. The monthly charge for a 175-watt LED would drop from $4.25 to $3. For 1,000-watt LEDs, the charge would drop from $16.50 to $10.

Shane Paul Bailey, 43, a native of Morgan City and resident of Stephensville, died Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
He is survived by his wife, Kaci Baio Bailey; parents, Evelyn and Michael Bailey Sr.; children, Olivia, Audrey, Joylyn and Jonah; and brother, Michael Bailey Jr.
He was preceded in death by an infant, and paternal and maternal grandparents.
Visitation will be Saturday from 9 a.m. until services at noon at Twin City Funeral Home Burial will follow in Morgan City Cemetery.
Twin City Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Submitted photo
Keep St. Mary Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep Louisiana Beautiful, participated in Morgan City’s Trunk or Treat on Oct. 18 under the bridge. Several hundred children attended to collect treats. Chairperson Lea Hebert, along with board members Bryce Merrill and Micah Allen, enhanced the event by distributing Keep Louisiana Beautiful litter bags and coloring books. They also encouraged parents to support the Sonic Blue Pelican Slush Campaign, noting that 100% of the proceeds benefit Keep Louisiana Beautiful.