The state of Louisiana took the dreaded word problem from math class and turned it into the rules of the road. You know the one – if vehicle A is going west at 35 mph and… (do I have to do the rest)?
However, getting this word problem wrong could get you a ticket:
If a car enters the Atchafalaya Bridge on I-10 in Louisiana and travels the full length of the 18-mile bridge within the speed limit of 60 mph, how many minutes will it take the car to get there? one end of the bridge to the other?
The answer is 18 minutes.
Now, I’ve driven this stretch of highway between Lafayette and Baton Rouge several times. On some of these trips, I have seen vehicles pass in front of me in a flash. They probably make the trip across the bridge in less than 15 minutes. Then there are those days when a broken down vehicle or wreck happens and it takes 18 minutes to travel 18 feet.
Recently, Louisiana lawmakers agreed to Senate Bill 435, which Governor Edwards signed into law. The general intent of the law is to make this stretch of road safer. One of the provisions to achieve this is to use cameras and mathematics.
When you enter the I-10 Atchafalaya Bridge from the westbound or eastbound lanes, a traffic camera will record an image and timestamp of your vehicle. Then, when you get to the end of the bayou bridge, another camera will do the same. If you complete this trip in less than 18 minutes, you will exceed the posted speed limit.
The title of this post says to cross the bridge in 17 minutes or less. I can’t speak to the leniency that will be granted with this new law, but we motorists usually have a 4-5 mph tolerance, right? If you cross the Atchafalaya Bridge in 17 minutes, your average speed is 100 km/h; cross it in 16 minutes and you can take it up to 67.5 mph. Just for smiles, if you’re going 80 mph the full length of the bridge, you’ll cross it in 13 1/2 minutes, and you should definitely look for a match in Louisiana State Mail.
Speaking of fines, another provision of this new law is to designate the Atchafalaya Bridge as a freeway safety corridor. This means that traffic fines will cost you double.
This law is expected to go into effect August 1, 2022. So the next time you’re heading to New Orleans, Orange Beach, or Orlando, you might want to be extra careful with your speed when traveling through swamps. on the Atchafalaya Bridge. Otherwise, you might face another word problem based on where you go to find the money to pay a hefty fine.
Comments are closed.