New Orleans, LA, $615m Permanent Canal Closures and Pumps

17th Street Canal: (Satellite)

Orleans Canal: (Satellite)

London Avenue Canal: (Satellite)

The USACE has built a levee between Lake Pontchartrain and New Orleans to protect New Orleans from a storm surge in the lake when a hurricane passes through the area. These storm surges can be so severe in the lake that they are now building levees to protect towns on the west shore of the lake. The levee system around New Orleans has openings that allow drainage canals to empty into the lake during normal times. But when a surge is coming, they have to close the gates on those openings to keep the lake out of the city. But the same hurricane is going to dump a lot of rain in the city. So, when the gates are closed, pumps lift the rainwater from the city up into the lake.

Facebook Reel
Filling the Superdome in 90 minutes is equivalent to filling an Olympic-sized swimming pool in 3.6 seconds.
https://www.floodauthority.org/

There are three canals with gates and pump houses (#8 in this figure). I presume the flow rate in the above video is for all three pump houses combined.

https://www.floodauthority.org/

17th Street Canal

FloodAuthority_pccp

I included the flood wall on the right so that we can see how tall it is. The gates are on the left. I'm guessing the pumps are in the center and diesel-generator sets are on the right because they probably lose power during a hurricane. All of those tanks in the foreground clued me in about the diesel generators. I presume they store diesel fuel.

Street View, Feb 2023

This view confirms that they use sluice gates.

Street View, Oct 2025

Orleans Canal

FloodAuthority_pccp

The Orleans Pump Station is a lot smaller. That makes sense because this canal drains a smaller area between the other two canals. 

Street View, Apr 2024

This is what the lake side looks like.

Street View, Apr 2025

London Canal

FloodAuthority_pccp

Street View, Mar 2024

UP Bridge over Salt Creek in Lincoln, NE. collapsed because of a fire

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Second photo for John's post below

John Cockle posted two photos with the comment:

Big time bummer: a fire has destroyed the western trestle approach to a UPRR bridge spanning Salt Creek in the heart of Lincoln, NE.  The damage to the trestle section was severe enough to cause one end of the truss bridge to collapse into the creek.  This bridge was actively use by UPRR and they will have to negotiate with BNSF for an alternative.  

I believe this is/was a lattice-type truss bridge. Can anyone confirm that understanding? Second photo is by Gary Binder from the Nebraska Railroads FB page.

Dennis DeBruler: This is Nathan Holth's comment on Bridge Hunter: "it's not a Whipple... it's an extremely rare variation of the lattice truss, the Triple Intersection Warren. Most lattice trusses are Quadruple Intersection Warrens (sometimes called quadrangular). A very nice and highly significant historic bridge." https://web.archive.org/web/20210620010517/https://bridgehunter.com/ne/lancaster/up-salt-creek/

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"Built 1899, Moved here 1921" The bridge is 230' (70m) long, and the span is 100' (30m). [BridgeHunter]

Trail View, Feb 2023

It looks like Salt Creek has levees.

2015 photo by John Marvig via BridgeHunter

When I think of Lincoln, NE, I think of CB&Q. And, indeed, it had six spokes into this town. UP and RI had routes through this town, and C&NW and MoPac had routes that terminated in this town. Today, only the CB&Q and UP routes are still used. I see that US-6 and US-34 also go through this town. The "bridge to nowhere" that is north of the UP bridge used to connect to MoPac.

1964/66 Lincoln Quad @ 24,000

This is a view of the UP bridge from the abandoned MoPac connection.

Milton McNeeLee, May 2017

I-376 Squirrel Hill Tunnel and Bridge Replacement

West Portal: (Satellite, Google Maps labels this the east portal, but it is on the west side.)

East Portal: (Satellite)

Bridge: (Satellite)

Approximate tunnel distance via Google Maps: Total distance: 4,117.28 ft (1.25 km)

This bridge carries 100,000 vehicles a day, and it is scheduled to be closed for 25 days in Summer 2026.

Street View, Oct 2024

They called it the "Commercial Street Bridge." It turns out, it doesn't carry that street, it goes over that street. My clue as to the location was that they are going to do lane changes near Squirrel Hill Tunnel. This video was posted Feb 24, 2026, and all of the steel work is done. They now have to add the deck. It will then be moved over to replace the concrete bridge during the outage in the Summer, 2026.

3:01 video @ 0:25

@ 0:51

@ 0:58

The bridge weights over 22 million pounds.

@ 1:00

1902,1983 CPKC/KCS/GWWR/GM&O Lift Bridge over Illinois River at Pearl, IL

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

GWWR = Gateway Western Railroad

After writing this blog for more than a decade, I'm still finding bridges over the Illinois River.

The 1180' (360m) long bridge has a 425' (130m) lift span. The lift span was added in 1978. [Archived Bridge Hunter]

Or was it 1982-83 per Barbara's commented below. I think it was 1983.

Street View, Jul 2016

2007 photo by Nathan Morton vai ArchivedBridgeHunter

This original 1885 pin-connected truss was relocated to Minnesota. [Archived Bridge Hunter]

Street View, May 2025

Barbara Donovan posted 16 photos with the comment: "1982-83 the removal of the turnstile bridge at Pearl Landing and putting new span in."

DaVe Durham shared with the comment: "Pearl/Grand pass."

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I think the crane was on a barge so it could have stayed above the flood.

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To resolve the conflict of when the lift span was installed, 1978 vs. 1982-83, I researched the flooding of the Illinois River. I found data for Valley City, which is upstream from Perl, IL; and data for Hardin, which is downstream. I'm surprised how different they are. Late 1982 does show up as above Major Flood Stage in the Hardin record.

Valley City:

FloodStageBook, p77

Hardin:

FloodStageBook, p79

I got more Google search results for 1982 than I did for 1978. But some of the results for 1982 were in the Spring rather than in the Winter. It appears that 1982 impacted the tributaries more than the Illinois River itself.

Chart via USGS

Some comments agree that this was in 1982. This is at the Spencerville Covered Bridge. But this was in northeastern Indiana. I guess it does show that there was a lot of rain in the area.

Mary Hollabough Diehl posted

The year of the flood.   Look at the water level!! 

I remember this day like it was yesterday.  Walked down with my dad and he snapped this picture of me.  

Need help with exact year?   1982 ???  

(Photo Credit: Ted A. Hollabaugh)

This report does indicate that there was a flood during December 2-12, 1982. That correlates with Barbara's construction photos. Illinois also had flooding Winter-Spring 1982.

Soon after I published, I found confirmation that the flood started in Dec 2, 1982.

1913,1958,2019 Penn Street Viaduct over Schuylkill River at Reading, PA

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

I was going to pass on yet-another-bridge until I saw the date of 1913. That is rather early for a large concrete bridge.

The 1,227' (407.5m) long bridge has a main span of 110' (33.5m). "Constructed in 1913, the bridge is a relatively old surviving example of its kind, and it retains good historic integrity including original ornate concrete railings. The five main spans are open spandrel arches, and the oldest examples in Berks County of this bridge type." [HistoricBridges]

The 2019 rehabilitation restored the historical details from the 1911 bridge drawings by Benjamin Herman Davis. [Apr 24, 2020, comment on ArchivedBridgeHunter]

Chad Blimline, Oct 2023

Gavin VanSant, Jun 2023

They probably call it a viaduct instead of a bridge because it has a long approach on the east side.

Street View, Mar 2025

Metrotrails posted

The Penn Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River between Reading and West Reading Pennsylvania. 

Built in 1913, it is one of the earliest regional examples of open spandrel concrete arches. It is the fourth bridge to span the Schuylkill at this location. 

Always an important crossing site, the river was originally forded at this location. When damning began on the river for the development of the canals, a bridge was absolutely necessary because the depth of the river was too much.

Work began and was stalled several times on the construction of the first bridge with unused Piers in place for over a decade. The first covered Bridge opened at the site in 1816 and lasted until 1884.

Due to concerns with the railroad igniting the bridge, it was replaced by a Pratt through truss bridge in 1885. This bridge was considered overstressed by 1910, which led to the construction of the current bridge.

The bridge carries an average of 34,000 cars per day.

Metrotrails shared

1855 North Bend Rail Trail/B&O #6 (Central Station, Doe Run) Tunnel near West Union, WV

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

The tunnel is 2297' (700m) long. [BridgeHunter]

West Portal:

2014 photo by Robert Elder via BridgeHunter

Evidently, this is the longest tunnel on this former 72-mile B&O route.

North Bend Rail Trail: "One of the most renowned recreational trails in the Appalachians, the North Bend Rail Trail stretches 72 miles across north-central and western West Virginia, crossing through 36 bridges and coursing through 10 tunnels, including a 2,297-foot tunnel and the 'haunted' Silver Run Tunnel." [wvstateparks]

The website below has an extensive discussion of this railroad. Page 1 discusses the route from Parkersburg to Ellenboro.

http://wvncrails.weebly.com/parkersburg-to-clarksburg---wais...

Page 2 lists all of the tunnels and discusses the route from Ellenboro to Clarksburg.

http://wvncrails.weebly.com/parkersburg-to-clarksburg--waist...

[Robert Elder comment on ArchivedBridgeHunter]

Mike Tewkesbury posted two photos with the comment: "The interior of Tunnel Number 6 from the old Parkersburg Branch of the B&O Railroad, now part of the North Bend Rail Trail; Rails to Trails known as Doe Run or Central Station, built 1853-55 of timber and rebuilt with brick and stone in the later 1860s. The tunnel was the second longest of the 23 tunnels built along the branch at 2297 feet. As the tunnel this day in 2016 was very wet from the previous two days and nights of rain, we found that unless we wanted cold feet that we would have to find another way to get to the eastern side. We started in so far, but when the water began to seep into our shoes, we turned around. It was a good call as, not more than a couple of minutes later, we saw bright lights heading our way from the opposite side. We quickly ran outside and waited to see what was going on. It ended up being a worker for the park making his rounds. We never saw the eastern end which is different than the west as it has a wider bricked portal. Nearly ten years later, it's about time to go back. Other photos will be added to the comment section. Thanks for your interest but you should see these fabulous tunnels for yourself."

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Mike Tewkesbury commented on his post
One of the escape alcoves on the eastern side. Notice the water up to the bottom of it. I've been told that most of the tunnels have had their floors worked on and covered with gravel making them a lot drier.

Mike Tewkesbury commented on his post
Noticing lights heading our way. Couldn't be a train?! 😉

Mark Floyd commented on Mike's post
Tunnel 19, the haunted Silver Run tunnel at Cairo, WV.

Comments on Mark's comment

Neal Reynolds commented on Mike's post
Tunnel #6 photo borrowed from WVNC Rails website.