The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has advertised a full replacement of the Boudreaux Canal Bridge on LA 56 in Chauvin. Contractors submit bids on October 14, 2026, four days from today. In its September 17 announcement, DOTD estimated the project at $56 million and called it "long-awaited." It also said nothing yet about how traffic will reach Cocodrie while the work is underway.
That missing piece matters most to anyone who drives below Chauvin. Over the past year the old bridge has closed on its own schedule several times, twice without warning. The replacement swaps those surprise closures for one long planned disruption. How long, and in what form, gets decided only after the contract is awarded.
A 1959 Bridge With a Busy Repair Log
The Boudreaux Canal Bridge sits on LA 56 between Vin Street and Tave Drive. It is a movable bridge, built in 1959, and DOTD says it has "recently required maintenance and emergency attention as the structure has aged." DOTD's closure notices since summer 2025 show what that looks like:
- June 10 to July 18, 2025. An inspection found the bridge structurally deficient. DOTD's closure listing ran from 10 a.m. June 10 to 4 p.m. July 18, a little over 38 days, with traffic sent to LA 57.
- October 18 to 24, 2025. The hydraulic system failed and the bridge closed to vehicles while boats could still pass. The hydraulic cylinder went to a repair shop, and DOTD expected the bridge to reopen the morning of October 24, about six days later.
- January 6, 2026. A planned three-hour full closure, 9 a.m. to noon, to repair the main girders, with LA 57 as the detour.
- July 10, 2026. A brief closure for mechanical repairs. The bridge had reopened by July 13.
- July 15 and 16, 2026. Planned closures from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day for electrical repairs and testing.
That makes at least five separate closures between June 2025 and July 2026. Two came from failures nobody scheduled, and one ran more than five weeks. In DOTD's own words, the agency "only closes bridges when they are deemed unsafe for public use."
The Price Nearly Doubled While the Bid Date Slid
The replacement didn't start at $56 million. In its June 16, 2025 update on closed Terrebonne bridges, DOTD estimated the new Boudreaux Canal Bridge at $30 million and said it was "scheduled to go out to bid next summer."
By September 2026, the estimate was $56 million and the bid date was October 14. That is roughly an 87 percent jump in the estimate, and the bid date moved from summer to mid-fall. DOTD hasn't explained the change in its announcements. The September release does show work still underway before construction can begin. DOTD is finishing coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard and seeking federal authorization from the Federal Highway Administration. Utility relocation is starting with help from Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Waterworks.
What DOTD Has Said About Traffic, and What It Hasn't
The September announcement covers the traffic question in one sentence. Information about "the construction schedule, traffic impacts and other project details will be announced following the public bid opening and award of the construction contract."
So as of October 10, 2026, the record has no start date, no completion date, and no word on whether LA 56 will fully close at Boudreaux Canal. It also doesn't say whether a temporary crossing or a signed detour will carry traffic. The best local guide to what might come next is the last bridge DOTD replaced on LA 56, farther down the road at the Chauvin and Cocodrie border.
The Robinson Canal Job Is the Local Precedent
From late 2023 to late 2024, DOTD replaced the Robinson Canal Bridge on LA 56. That bridge sits at the Chauvin and Cocodrie border, and it was renamed the Lapeyrouse Bridge when it reopened. WDSU reported the project cost $7.2 million.
That job used a full closure. DOTD's notice closed LA 56 starting at 7 a.m. on November 27, 2023, with a planned end of 4 p.m. on October 1, 2024. DOTD's closure record shows the bridge actually reopened at 1:40 p.m. on December 6, 2024. That works out to about 375 days of closure, roughly 66 days past the original end date. The ribbon-cutting came later, on December 14.
The signed detour was long. Southbound drivers went north on LA 56 to LA 24, west on LA 24 to LA 661, south on LA 661 to LA 57, then south on LA 57 back to LA 56. Northbound drivers ran the same route in reverse.
| Robinson Canal (Lapeyrouse) Bridge | Boudreaux Canal Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Route | LA 56, Chauvin and Cocodrie border | LA 56, Chauvin, between Vin St. and Tave Dr. |
| Project cost | $7.2 million | About $56 million, estimated |
| Planned closure | Nov. 27, 2023 to Oct. 1, 2024 | Not yet announced |
| Actual reopening | Dec. 6, 2024 | Not applicable |
| Traffic plan | Full closure, LA 24, LA 661, and LA 57 detour | To be announced after contract award |
The Boudreaux estimate is nearly eight times the Robinson Canal cost. That doesn't predict a longer or shorter closure, and DOTD hasn't tied the two projects together. It does mean the Robinson Canal timeline can't be copied onto this one as a forecast. The precedent shows how DOTD handled the last LA 56 bridge job in this stretch. It doesn't show how DOTD will handle this one.
In DOTD's announcement, State Rep. Jessica Domangue pointed directly to the earlier project:
"Replacing the Boudreaux Canal bridge is crucial to the economic stability of the Chauvin/Cocodrie community. Local businesses took a huge financial hit during the Robinson Canal bridge replacement. We are optimistic the new leadership at DOTD will replace this bridge on time."
Terrebonne Parish President Jason Bergeron called the bridge "a critical piece of infrastructure for the Chauvin community, supporting residents, businesses, and visitors alike."
Why the Calendar Matters on This Stretch of Road
Whenever the Boudreaux Canal Bridge closes, it cuts off traffic headed toward the marinas and camps at the end of LA 56. That is also the direction the coming months' outdoor calendar points.
- October 17, 2026. Coco Marina's event calendar lists its Annual Bayou Clean-Up.
- November 7, 2026 and January 30, 2027. These are the youth and veterans waterfowl days in the West Zone. Under the 2026-27 LDWF hunting regulations, the West Zone covers the coast south of US 90, Terrebonne included.
- November 14 to December 6, 2026, and December 19, 2026 to January 24, 2027. These are the two West Zone splits for regular duck, coot, and merganser season.
The East and West zone lines are the same ones used for the previous five seasons, according to LDWF's August 2025 notice. Anyone who hunted the area last year will find familiar boundaries.
Inshore fishing rules haven't changed either. The 2026 LDWF recreational fishing regulations keep spotted seatrout at a 13-inch minimum and 20-inch maximum, 15 per person daily, with no more than two over 20 inches counted inside that 15. Red drum stays at 18 to 27 inches, four per person daily. LDWF says the trout rule is set to expire January 1, 2028 unless it is changed sooner.
No construction date has been announced, so nobody can yet say whether work will overlap a duck season, a spring run, or a summer of tournaments at Coco Marina. That overlap is the detail to look for once DOTD releases the schedule.
What to Look for After October 14
The bid opening is the first public milestone. Contract award comes next, and only then will DOTD release the schedule and traffic plan. When it does, these are the details that answer the questions this post leaves open:
- Closure type. Whether LA 56 fully closes at Boudreaux Canal, the way it did at Robinson Canal, or whether DOTD keeps some form of crossing open.
- Detour route. DOTD named LA 57 as the detour for the June 2025 and January 2026 Boudreaux closures. Whether a long-term plan relies on the same route is not yet known.
- Start and finish dates, and how they line up with the waterfowl and fishing calendar.
- Interim repairs. DOTD hasn't said whether the 1959 bridge will stay open to traffic during construction. Its recent record includes a hydraulic failure and several mechanical and electrical closures.
DOTD posts closures and project status on its website through its Project Viewer, and it takes questions through DOTD Customer Service at 877-452-3683.
If you own a camp or a home below the Boudreaux Canal and you're weighing a sale, a purchase, or just timing while this project takes shape, we're glad to sit down and talk it through. Good Earth Realty follows what happens on LA 56 because our clients drive it, and we'll share what we learn as DOTD releases the details.
