St. Martin Parish bridges closed

At least four bridges have been closed without notice in St. Martin Parish, including the much used pontoon bridge connecting the Butte la Rose community to the Henderson Levee.
Other bridges, all parish-maintained wooden-pier spans, are on Duchamp Road, Boone Lasseigne Road and Patin Street in Henderson.
A fifth bridge, on Bayou Mercier Road in Catahoula, is down to one lane, with prominent orange X's on suspect piles. If that bridge were to be closed, residents of the neighborhoods along Bayou Mercier Road would have no way in or out. The Bayou Mercier Bridge at the other end of the road, is condemned and has been closed for some time.
Attempts to contact Parish President Guy Cormier have been unsuccessful.
A spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development's district office in Lafayette said DOTD inspects parish bridges every two years on average and reports the results to the parish. She said federal law prohibits public disclosure of the inspection reports.
Residents of the Butte la Rose area have called TecheToday.com to complain about the pontoon bridge being closed without notice.
St. Martin Sheriff's Office Maj. Terry Guidry, head of the St. Martin Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said he was not notified of the closures.
Exacerbating the situation is the death of the parish's director of Public Works, Cassie Alexander.
Alexander died from an illness last week and was buried today.