23-foot Titanic fully functional replica causes traffic jams in Louisiana

Sailing enthusiast causes rush hour tail back with his boat

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A replica of the Titanic caused a traffic jam in Louisiana.

Photo by ** Photos from the Times-Picayune - NOLA.com Courtesy of Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission

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A replica of the ill-fated Titanic has been causing a storm sailing the waters of Louisiana.

Mark Koch (52) purchased the replica of the Belfast-built ship on Ebay for $9,000. Built in the 1980s, by Pat and Cecil Gates, the vessel is 23 feet length, 5 feet wide, 9 feet tall and weighs nearly 2000 pounds.

Koch caused quite a stir recently when he went for an early morning cruise down in southeastern Louisiana.  When the boat hit Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, where two bridges run parallel, passing rush hour traffic slowed down to admire the replica, causing traffic mayhem.

“It induced one heck of a traffic backup this morning,” Causeway general manager Carlton Dufrechous told WWLTV News.

“I’d like to meet the gentleman behind it, but I would also ask him to take it out on the water sometime other than rush hour.”

Knoch late told Nola.com that while he thought motorists would enjoy seeing the boat, he didn’t expect drivers to stop their cars.

“I didn't do it to piss anybody off,” Koch said. “Maybe I made one pass too many. I won't do it again. I promise.”

When he purchased the boat around five years ago and drove it back from Philadelphia, he got the same reaction from motorists.

"The whole way home it was the same pattern: People slowing down, taking pictures," he said.

Koch intends to take his family to Washington DC for a cruise on the Potomac River in the coming weeks.

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