Construction of new Calcasieu River Bridge could begin as soon as this year

After decades of planning, construction of the new Calcasieu River Bridge in Louisiana may begin soon.

On Thursday, Aug. 15, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced the Interstate 10 Calcasieu River Bridge project reached a financial close, paving the way for construction to start. In July, the Louisiana State Bond Commission approved the sale of up to $2 billion in bonds.

According to the Louisiana DOTD, construction of the bridge could begin as soon as this year. Construction is expected to take seven years to complete, with the new bridge opening to traffic as soon as 2031.

“Tens of thousands of motorists cross the outdated existing bridge every day,” DOTD Secretary Joe Donahue said in a statement. “A new bridge is long overdue, and clearing this hurdle puts our state closer than ever to seeing construction on this essential project.”

The $2.3 billion project includes a 5.5-mile corridor from Ryan Street in Lake Charles to the I-210/I-10 interchange in Westlake. The new Calcasieu River Bridge will be less steep and will have more lanes, full shoulders and roadway lighting. In addition to the new bridge, the project includes improvements to interstate roadways, ramps and interchanges.

State and federal funding will cover about half of the overall cost. The remaining costs will be covered through tolls, which will not be collected until the new bridge is open to traffic.

Proposed toll rates on the Calcasieu River Bridge announced in January will be $8.25 for large trucks with a toll tag and $12.36 for trucks without a tag.

That is significantly more than the $2.50 toll rate for passenger vehicles with a toll tag. Local vehicles will pay as little as $0.13. Toll rates are in 2023 dollars and will increase over time as they are indexed to the consumer price index.

About 15% of the net profit from tolls will go to the state. That revenue will be used to lower rates, shorten the 50-year term for toll collection and pay for future highway projects in Southwest Louisiana.

The current Calcasieu River Bridge is more than 70 years old and predates the interstate system it sits on. According to the I-10 Bridge Task Force, the bridge opened in 1952 and was designed to carry 37,000 vehicles daily with a 50-year lifespan. Today, there are more than 90,000 crossings each day.

In 2011-2012, the Calcasieu River Bridge was rehabilitated, extending its life expectancy. However, in 2016, the bridge received a National Bridge Inventory rating of 6.6 out of 100.

Three years ago, a tractor-trailer fire shut down the bridge, igniting calls to expedite the replacement project. The I-10 Bridge Task Force states on its website that if the bridge were to be taken out of service, traffic would have to be diverted to the Interstate 210 bridge, which it claims “would be devastating to both our economy and our quality of life.” LL