If his nearly 16 years running the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway has taught Carlton Dufrechou one thing, it's this: "There's never a dull moment on the world's longest bridge."
Dufrechou was reminded of that again at 7:48 a.m. Friday morning, after Causeway police officers stopped a motorist who had driven the wrong way on the bridge for about two miles.


There were no crashes or injuries, but there were some scary moments, Dufrechou said.

The driver, who wasn't identified, apparently got on the northbound span of the bridge in Metairie and for a time was driving in the correct direction. But a couple miles into his drive, Dufrechou said, the driver managed to turn around and began driving back toward Metairie against traffic.

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Our commuters are well trained," Dufrechou, the Causeway general manager, said. "At least this guy had the presence of mind to stay in the closed lane."
Dufrechou said a number of drivers began calling bridge operators to report the wrong-way driver.
"It was very short and brief — a bunch of people calling," he said.
Video that a motorist posted on the Facebook page "West St. Tammany Traffic and Donuts" showed the vehicle, a silver or grey SUV, driving the wrong way. The post drew multiple comments.
"Holy crap! I can’t believe the cars just driving right past. I would not be able to do that," Brittany Badinger posted on the page.
Police quickly intercepted the driver and stopped him as soon he exited the span.
Dufrechou said the man's vehicle was properly registered and insured, but that he wasn't carrying a driver's license. Dufrechou said the driver was not impaired.
The officers wrote several tickets and detained the driver until a family member came to pick him and his vehicle up, Dufrechou said.

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