BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – A floating buoy that held up the middle of two former casino pedestrian bridges failed Friday afternoon, causing both bridges to partially fall into the rising Mississippi River.
The bridges were once used to allow people to walk from the levee to the former Belle of Baton Rouge riverboat casino on the river.
The floating buoy, which stretched across the bottom of both bridges, allowed the bridges to remain above water and rise and fall as river levels changed.
The Belle riverboat casino left the downtown Baton Rouge site in January 2025. The Belle of Baton Rouge casino is now operating on land alongside Bally’s BR Hotel. The casino will fall under Bally’s name once the change is approved by the Louisiana Gaming Commission.
Bally’s Baton Rouge General Manager Richard Cannon said the buoy failed around 2 p.m. Friday.
Cannon said there is no risk of the bridges breaking away since they are secured to concrete pilings in several spots.
No injuries were reported.
The casino plans to have security posted at the site until the situation is resolved.
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