Motorists on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge will not be subject to speed cameras after all, as the law that created them has been repealed before the cameras were deployed.
ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- Motorists on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge will not be subject to speed cameras after all, as the law that created them has been repealed before the cameras were deployed.
SB379, introduced by state Sen. Blake Miguez (R-New Iberia), was signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry on Tuesday. It repealed a law signed in 2022 by then-Gov. John Bel Edwards that established the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge as a highway safety corridor, set specific speed limits and provided for the speed cameras.
The cameras were slated to go online Aug. 1. The newly repealed law would have doubled the normal fines for speeders caught on the bridge and changed the speed limit from 55 mph for trucks and 60 mph for cars to 60 mph for all vehicles.
St. Martin Parish Sheriff Becket Breaux supported the repeal in a post on the SMPSO's Facebook page.
"The proposed cameras were incapable of stopping speeders at the moment of the infraction, rendering them ineffective in promoting public safety," Breaux said.
Previously, Breaux had testified at the Senate Transportation, Highway, and Public Works Committee, which was considering the bill.
According to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the project cost a little over $590,000. It is unclear how much DOTD has spent before the repeal.
