(November 1, 2002) – The westbound lane of Highway 61 will be closed for approximately one hour on Saturday, November 2, 2002, to allow a large tower to be transported across the Bonnet Carre Spillway Bridge.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation has established guidelines regarding when the first vessel will be transported. Due to the size of the first column, the vehicle transporting this tower will travel at approximately three miles per hour beginning at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday and will begin crossing the Bonnet Carre Spillway at approximately 6:00 a.m. The tower should reach Prospect Avenue by 12:00 noon.

The tower will be loaded west of the Bonnet Carre Spillway on River Road at the Mississippi River in Montz. It will be carried from the River Road to Highway 628 (CC Road). From Highway 628, the tower will be brought to Highway 61 (Airline Highway) and transported across the Bonnet Carre Spillway on the westbound lane of Highway 61 to Prospect Avenue.

Traffic will be re-routed to River Road during this time. The Louisiana State Police and the St. Charles Parish Sheriffs Department will manage traffic flow during the moves.

This tower is a part of the refining equipment that is being installed as part of Motiva Norco Refining’s Low Sulfur Gasoline unit. The Low Sulfur Gasoline unit is being built at Norco as part of a federally mandated project to significantly reduce the sulfur content in gasoline. Sulfur in gasoline can become a source of emission from automobiles and trucks that contribute to air pollution.

Components of the Low Sulfur Gasoline unit were built overseas and the smaller of two large towers will be transported this weekend. It’s 206 feet long, 14.8 feet in diameter and weighs 562 thousand pounds.

The larger of the two towers will be transported at a later date. The Louisiana Department of Transportation has not yet confirmed this date. We will send you another letter with the details for this move.

Motiva is using Mammoet, a worldwide heavy hauling contractor who has considerable experience moving loads of this nature. The moving contractor has secured property owners’ permission and a wide range of permits that serve to protect the levee, utility lines, roads and the general community.

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