On Tuesday, April 24 at Nacho Mama’s, 1000 S. Clearview Pkwy. in Elmwood beginning at 5:30 p.m., the Jefferson Coalition of Emerging Leaders (JCEL) will unveil what will be the last vehicle to traverse over the old lanes of the Huey P. Long Bridge.
In celebration of the Huey P. Long Bridge Widening project, the Jefferson Chamber is promoting the “Last on the Lanes, First to the Future” contest. Winners of the contest will get to be the last to drive across the old lanes and the first to drive over the new lanes of the bridge.
Shane Peck, Sr. Communications Coordinator for the civil engineering company Parsons Brinckerhoff, part of the Joint Venture Louisiana TIMED Managers, will be the guest speaker at the event. Mr. Peck leads all communications on the Huey P. Long Bridge Widening Project and he will discuss the regional impact of the bridge and how to enter the contest. 
Since the Huey P. Long Bridge opened on December 16, 1935, drivers have been using two narrow lanes in each direction. In the coming months, traffic will be switched to new lanes so the old lanes can be removed. The new lanes will then be widened.
“First and foremost, the bridge will be safer for travelers. When it is completed in 2013, the driving surface on the bridge will more than double from 18 feet in each direction to 43 feet in each direction,” said Peck. “It will also be a better emergency evacuation route and we are already seeing the benefits in terms of new businesses and job creation. The bridge widening will make Jefferson Parish an even better place to live, work and raise a family.”
The JCEL event is one of a series of monthly networking mixers featuring young professionals ages 18 to 40. JCEL is a committee under the Jefferson Chamber with a focus on cultivating future civic and economic leaders of Jefferson Parish and the surrounding community through philanthropic initiatives, education, and leadership development opportunities.
“The purpose of JCEL is to give the young professionals of our parish a voice in decision-making and a way to reach out to other young professionals to build a stronger community together,” Matt Burnell, JCEL committee chair said. “We know that getting off to a start and making new contacts that can be mutually beneficial isn’t always the easiest thing in the world. One of our goals will always be to make connecting as easy as possible so that our members can focus on developing a strong and successful business.”
Burnell says that the monthly membership meetings are growing and that JCEL is looking for guest speakers and venues. JCEL has plans to start new projects and events like a planned mentor dinner series coming in the fall.
If you would like to attend the event on the 24, please register online at www.jeffersonchamber.org. To receive email updates on upcoming events from JCEL and the Jefferson Chamber, you can text “JEFFERSONCHAMBER” to 42828.
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About the Jefferson Chamber:
With over 1000 members, the Jefferson Chamber is the premier business organization in the Greater New Orleans area. We work on behalf of our members to help their businesses grow, implement relevant and informative programming and provide opportunities to build relationships with other businesses in the community.
Our Mission is to work for the advancement of the business community; to enhance the economic, civic and cultural environment; and to improve the quality of life in Jefferson Parish.
