(The Center Square) – Deployment of Atchafalaya Basin Bridge speed cameras has been stopped by the stroke of a pen.
Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law this week shuttering the camera program on the congested, sometimes crash-prone Interstate 10 crossing. It is the third-longest bridge in the U.S. The new law also ends the doubled fines for motorists caught speeding on the 18-mile crossing.
Senate Bill 379, authored by Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, takes effect Aug. 1.
“Thank you @LAGovJeffLandry for signing #SB379 into law preventing revenue generating speed cameras from being deployed on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge,” Miguez said in a post to X. “Law enforcement officers remain the best option to enforce the law and to prioritize safety on our roadways.”
The now-defunct cameras were part of a bill passed in 2022 to curb speeding and accidents on the bridge in Iberville and St. Martin Parishes.
The law also doubled fines for speeding in a highway safety corridor and restricts trucks to the right lane. Revenues from the fines generated by the speed cameras were to go to maintain the cameras and the rest would be distributed to Iberville and St. Martin parishes.
Last month, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development had already begun the process of installing the cameras and signage on the 18-mile bridge. The agency said the work, which will cost taxpayers more than $591,000, would have been finished by June.
Speed cameras were the third phase of the project. The initial phase involved the installation of additional signage, with the second phase consisting of “your speed” feedback signs that show a motorist their speed.
