Road repair begins in Louisiana, Mississippi

Road repair begins in Louisiana, Mississippi    Work began Monday to repair the Twin Span Bridge that carries I-10 traffic between New Orleans and Slidell, La., the U.S. Transportation Department said.
   In order to quickly restore two-way traffic knocked out by Hurricane Katrina the eastbound span will be fixed first, providing one lane of traffic in each direction. The contractor is required to finish work within 45 days. The second span is expected to be completed within 120 days.
   The contract includes an incentive of $50,000 per day to complete the work ahead of schedule, as well as penalties if the work is not completed on time.
   Work also began Friday on a temporary replacement road for U.S. route 90 in Mississippi to be completed within 90 days. Parts of the road will be reopened as work progresses, with full completion of the highway from Pass Christian, La., to Biloxi, Miss., scheduled for Dec. 9.