I-10 Bridge Task Force receives update from DOTD secretary
The bridge could take up to 5 years to complete and will require a toll
LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - The I-10 Bridge Task Force has received an update from DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson on the state’s plan for a new I-10 Calcasieu River bridge.
The state is proceeding with a funding method involving a public and private partnership. Bids will be obtained from private companies to build the new bridge. The company will collect a toll to pay for construction.
That bid process is expected to take two years.
Task Force Chairman Keith Durousseau says other funding options are not available right now, but the group will continue to look for all funding options. He says total federal funding from Pres. Donald Trump’s promise to build a new bridge if re-elected is in question.
Task Force officials say every year the project is delayed results in about $25 million per year in increased costs due to inflation.
”We ask residents to withhold judgment on the process until the bids are received and specific information is available,” said George Swift, President and CEO of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. “We thank Governor John Bel Edwards and LA DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson for taking action and beginning the process for the new bridge our region needs.”
For more information, visit www.buildourbridge.org.
Copyright 2020 KPLC. All rights reserved.
