On June 6, 2024, about 0512 local time, the towing vessel Josset was transiting the Morgan City-Port Allen Route of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, about 2.7 miles from Crescent, Louisiana, pushing three barges, when the lead barge struck the Bayou Grosse Tête Bridge. There were no injuries, and no pollution was reported. Damage to the bridge was estimated at $2.5 million.
We determined that the probable cause of the contact between the Josset tow and the Bayou Grosse Tête Bridge was the bridge tender’s miscalculation of Josset’s proximity, which resulted in him not starting to open the bridge in a timely manner. Contributing was the lack of a lookout stationed on the head of the tow, resulting in the pilot being unaware the bridge was not open until it was too late to stop the tow.
