I have a gallery titled Bonnet Carre' Spillway that explains why the structure is needed. I have not seen the wildflowers so prolific and beautiful as they are this year.
The water is still standing here because of the recent rise of the River. This is normally dry land. The word "batture" means land between the levee and the River and here the cement, wood and iron structure of the Spillway (this is not a bridge) serves as the levee.
The industrial building in the background is an electric generating plant