‘Titanic’ in Lake Pontchartrain slows Causeway bridge traffic to a crawl

As if Lake Pontchartrain Causeway motorists don’t have enough to contend with during the heavy morning commutes, up paddles a replica of history’s most ill-fated ocean liner to raise the ante a bit Wednesday morning.

Southbound traffic on the Causeway slowed to a crawl for more than an hour as drivers gawked at a 23-foot-long replica of the Titanic plying the waters of the lake about a mile or so from the south shore.

Causeway General Manager Carlton Dufrechou said the scene “caused one heck of a backup” starting around 8 a.m. and lasting more than an hour.

Intially, some thought it was a radio controlled boat. But Dufrechou said the vessel was manned.

“There’s a human inside the doggone thing,” he said. “I hope whoever owns it doesn’t cruise at rush hour again.”

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