Judge Perez Bridge

Judge Perez Bridge
View from car approaching the bridge's lift span. At right is an adjacent railroad bridge.
Coordinates	29°52′18.7″N 90°0′32.0″W
Carries	2 lanes of LA 23 north
Crosses	Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Locale	Belle Chasse and Terrytown, Louisiana
Official name	Judge Perez Bridge
Other name(s)	Belle Chasse Bridge
Maintained by	LaDOTD
Characteristics
Design	Vertical-lift bridge
Total length	2,654 feet
Longest span	150 feet
Clearance below	100 feet (open), 40 feet (closed)
History
Opened	September 10, 1968
Closed	March 16, 2025
Location

The Judge Perez Bridge, also known as the Belle Chasse Bridge, was a vertical-lift bridge in the U.S. state of Louisiana which carried northbound Louisiana Highway 23 over the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway between Belle Chasse and Terrytown. The bridge was paired with the Belle Chasse Tunnel which carried southbound LA 23. Construction began in March 1967, and the bridge opened for traffic in September 1968. It was plagued with mechanical issues since it opened. Commuters had to back down off the bridge due to a malfunction.

History

The bridge was built to relieve traffic from the Belle Chasse Tunnel. It was named after Leander Perez, a local political boss and segregationist. It was part of a parish project of four-laning Highway 23 throughout the road's entire length to Venice. According to the Plaquemines Gazette, the $3.3 million structure was built by Plaquemines Parish using its Parish Royalty Road Fund without charge to local taxpayers. Boh Brothers worked on its construction.

Construction for replacing the tunnel and lift bridge with new and improved high-rise bridge, was completed on March 17, 2025.