A lot of ideas have been tossed around recently on what to do with the Interstate 10 Twin Span bridge over Lake Pontchartrain once the new high-rise bridge is completed.

Some have proposed utilizing sections of the old bridge as additional emergency off ramps on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Others have suggested the spans be employed as part of a flood control project in the Chef Menteur Pass.

The most popular proposal by far, however, is the creation of a public fishing pier.

Construction continues on the new Interstate 10 Twin Span bridge, as it begins to soar skyward over the current bridge. The new bridge is expected to open in 2010, and proposals abound on what to do with the old structure. (Staff Photo by Anne Lautzenheiser)

“There has never been a public access pier on the east side of the parish,” said Gus Maggiore, of Gus’ Tackle & Nets on Old Spanish Trail in Slidell. “It’s an excellent idea, and way overdue.”

While residents on the western side of St. Tammany Parish can access the water along the shore at the Mandeville pier, citizens in Slidell, Pearl River and other eastern areas must often rely on a boat to do their fishing. Many feel the area is often overlooked when it comes to public access.

“The east side is forgotten about, because there’s no good place in Slidell to fish from the bank,” said Gary Hammock, a lifelong fisherman who runs a foundation and shoring company. “They have a lot of places like this in Florida, and it works out great.”

The idea first surfaced more than a year ago when work commenced on the new span and plans were set to demolish the old bridge upon its completion. St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis hopes to persuade the state Department of Transportation and Development to donate a portion of the southbound lanes for the purpose.

“We wanted to keep the northbound side, too, but we realized it would be too close to the new bridge,” said Davis. “Our parish engineers are working through it. It’s a work in progress.”

Davis noted that funding is not in place yet, and that an entry fee would most likely be charged to help defray costs of security and bathrooms, among other things.

That’s fine with many local residents, who feel a fee is necessary to maintain the area.

“They have to do it right, because public piers get trashed so easily,” said Charlie Leitell, who has been fishing the area for 15 years. “You don’t want it to become like that pier under the Seabrook Bridge over in New Orleans East. The smell is so disgusting you can’t even stand there sometimes.”

Leitell suggested the entry fee not include the cost of a 24-hour fishing license. This would require users to have a fishing license already and might discourage those who would not be conscientious while at the pier.

Maggiore, a retired educator who started making fishing nets more than 40 years ago, sees roadways as the biggest potential obstacle.

“Right now, in order to get to it, they’d have to go through Eden Isles, and that’s not too popular,” he said. “They’ll have to lay down a new access road somewhere.”

Parish officials are putting together a proposal to be submitted to the DOTD in early April, and a decision is expected sometime this summer. Most locals agree, though, it’s an idea whose time has come.

“Anyone who’s remotely interested in fishing will love it,” said Hammock. “I hope it happens.”