New Orleans CityBusiness reports that a two-year, $100 million project to improve Lake Pontchartrain Causeway safety has achieved positive results. Since shoulder additions and railing upgrades were completed in 2020, causeway crashes have dropped by 25 percent and fewer traffic injuries have occurred. Although railing collisions have taken place, the improved barriers have prevented vehicles from careening off the roadway into the lake. It was hoped that a 2017 toll rate increase imposed to finance the safety project would be rolled back over time. However, Carlton Dufrechou, general manager of the causeway operating commission, now says inflation may require an additional increase when rates are reviewed in late 2023.
