Judge Perez Bridge

I have not had many opportunities to pass over this bridge. It is a vertical-​lift bridge guiding the traffic north on Hwy 23 and opened in 1968. I do know that it opened after the tunnel that carries traffic south to alleviate some of flow. Each of the times that I have passed over the bridge, there has been a small backup, whether due to the bridge being up, or the light changing just on the other side of the bridge, but I have never had an issue. It has not failed me, nor has it failed anyone else that I can see.
The bridge is not high enough to really get a good view of anything, but is is a means to get where you are going.

Not much more to say that hasnt been said already. I pucker and speed up a little bit faster everytime I pas through this tunnel. It has its fair share of leaks and recently, to aggrevate the structural integrity of the tunnel, the Army Corps of Engineers recently retrofitted flood gates to this tunnel. At a substantial price. A price that possibly could of been matched by the local government to construct a new bridge. Wasting money on a leaking tunnel.
I dread this tunnel if I recently washed my whip… cause its gonna get dirty with all the nasty splashing going on.
I have never seen a big truck clip the entrance of the tunnel, but there is plenty of broken concrete to prove that it has happened over the years. Wish I could of seen at least one hit. Probably pretty cool.

Drove through Belle Chasse the other day and wondered if anyone was silly enough to review a tunnel. Of course it would be John. So here I am doing the same. What can I say, we Unilocalers are an opinionated bunch, apparently about everything.
So. I really enjoy the JPT. Not because it’s beautiful, because it’s not. Not because it’s safe, which I’m sure it is.
No. I enjoy it because every time we drive through it, the Girly closes her eyes and hold her breath seemingly in the belief that if she tightens up her whole body, shuts her eyes and holds her breath, the water leaking from the walls won’t turn into a flood situation.
I would make fun of her for that but so far, it’s worked.

Known locally as just The Belle Chasse Bridge, the Judge Perez Bridge is named for Leander Perez. Perez was a popular figure in Plaquemines and St. Bernard politics, and was a staunch supporter of segregation. There are a lot of things named for him despite his less than stellar reputation, but Louisiana gonna Louisiana.
As far as the actual bridge is concerned, this is my least favorite way to exit Plaquemines Parish. For starters, it is a vertical lift bridge which happens to be my least favorite type of bridge. While I am no expert in bridge operation, it sure seems that this style of bridge has more mechanical problems that other designs. It could have something to do with the bridge’s age, but I will go ahead and blame the design. If you happen to be an engineer and wish to refute this viewpoint, have at it.
This bridge is the fastest way to leave Plaquemines and enter Jefferson Parish. If you happen to be running from the police, I would recommend a different route as all the cops have to do is radio the bridge operator and that avenue of escape is blocked. I also don’t recommend this bridge if traffic is backed up very far as there is no way to tell when the bridge will reopen. It could be an oversize load being brought against traffic, the bridge stuck in the open position or just the run of the mill opening. The bridge into Algiers never opens so it’s a much better option despite the longer potential travel time.
I will review the tunnel separately as it is far cooler than this bridge.

I thought this would be appropriate since this bridge turns 58 next week.
Built in 1956, this is the bridge in Belle Chasse that crosses the Intracoastal Canal (and best known as the Belle Chasse bridge). It’s not terrible, as far as bridges go. It’s kind of unassuming and it seems that it goes up a lot. There are a lot of mechanical issues with the bridge but they are working to get all of that fixed.
The tunnel is pretty cool, although it’s narrow and it is always leaking. There’s always water in there and it drips onto your car when you drive though. They should probably seal that or something. It kind of makes me nervous, now that I really think about it.
In conclusion– Judge Perez Bridge and Tunnel: You’re in it and you’re on it!