When B&B Tackle relocated from Marrero to Belle Chasse seven years ago, it seemed like the perfect business move. The new storefront on LA 23 was a quick stop for customers on the way to lower Plaquemines Parish and its world-famous fishing waters.
Then came the construction of the new Belle Chasse Bridge over the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The $170 million project kicked off in April 2021, and in the years that followed, intermittent road closures have caused traffic nightmares. The congestion was made worse by the crush of workers trying to get to Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG plant in Port Sulphur.
“It made it hard for anybody on a schedule to come and get stuff,” said Austin Plaisance, 33, owner of B&B Tackle. “There’s days where we hardly got any customers.”…