Drivers unhappy with tunnel rail installation

HOUMA (AP) — A new metal railing along the interior walls of the Houma Tunnel is designed to protect its overhead lights.
The railing has frustrated local drivers who say it pushes traffic closer to the center line and makes the crossing more dangerous.
The railings were added in October 2013 by the state Transportation Department. Department spokeswoman Bambi Hall says the traffic switch was intentional in an effort to reduce damage to overhead lights.
The tunnel crosses the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
Some drivers say the new scheme makes them drive closer to the center, and could create more wrecks.
“It makes me ride closer to the center. I hate it,” John Wagenman of Houma said. “If anything, it’s going to create more wrecks.”
Houma resident Beth Guidry Wilson said the new lights are too bright.
“My biggest complaint is the lights at night,” Wilson said. “I feel like I’m in a time warp or it’s going to give me a seizure.”
Still, Terrebonne Parish capital projects director Jeanne Bray said she expects the new railings to more than pay for maintenance costs previously spent on replacing broken tunnel lighting.
Recent crash data for the tunnel has not yet been completed by the transportation department.