A bad day on the Lake Pontchartrain bridge job last month

We were doing a routine inspection on the I-10 twin spans when my umbilical got snagged on a submerged piling at about 45 feet. The current was running harder than forecast, and it took my tender and the dive supervisor nearly 20 minutes of careful maneuvering with the boat to free me without a hard pull. It was a solid reminder to always double-check the slack and never trust the surface report on current alone. Anyone have a good method for signaling a snag that doesn't involve just stopping work?

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3 Comments

caleb_price7mo ago

That umbilical snag sounds rough, but I’ve always heard the twin spans have a max depth of about 25 feet.

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alex3077mo ago

The south span near the old railroad bridge hits 40 feet in the channel. I've seen the charts from a buddy who runs charters out of Slidell. That 25 foot number gets thrown around for the average, but there are definitely holes out there that'll surprise you. A snagged umbilical in one of those deeper spots would be a real bad day.

6

piperm386mo ago

Those deep holes are no joke.

6