Copyright American Press
The Health and Safety Council Louisiana and the West Calcasieu Chamber of Commerce hosted the Louisiana Bridge Builders in an information-sharing session on Tuesday at the HASC Louisiana location in Sulphur. Construction on the new Interstate 10-Calcasieu River bridge will begin in March 2026. The project will be constructed in four segments simultaneously. Traffic is anticipated to shift to the new bridge in February 2030 and once the traffic has shifted the demolition will begin on the current bridge. The height of the bridge will be reduced from 152 feet to around 75-95 feet, which will make for a much smoother ride, according to Johnathan Hill, the public information officer for the I-10 Calcasieu Bridge Project. I-10 will remain open throughout construction. There will be enhanced lighting on the bridge and the shape of the lighting will be in an arch, which mimics the arch of the current bridge. Four towers will also be on the new bridge and in the towers drivers will see replicas of the current pistols on the bridge. The pistols on the current bridge will be given to DOTD once the structure is demolished and they will decide what to do with them. The new bridge will have three travel lanes on each side, shoulders on each side of the roadway, and two auxiliary lanes to enter and exit the bridge. Final acceptance of the bridge will be December 2031. The new bridge will include a toll. Tolling will start in August 2031 and it will be electronic. Noncommercial vehicles registered in the Southwest Louisiana region (Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis) will have a GeauxPass account with a discounted rate and a toll tag on the vehicle. Final toll rates are not available at this time as the rates are subject to the Consumer Price Index each year. The project is currently in the Interim Design Process. Career opportunities are available at lbbi10.com/careers. “You must be registered and complete the registration process. I’m saying that because it is quite intuitive,” Hill said. Recent progress on the I-10 bridge project is the relocation of the common duct bank, that is the relocation of parish utilities into one centralized location. The trial embankment work is underway in two locations, one north and one south of the I-10 bridge. One is in Westlake and one will be in Lake Charles. “This is where we’re looking to test how the ground settles with the significant amount of weight of the dirt,” Hill said. The project has also received approval from DOTD for right-of-way maps, understanding what parcels will be affected with the new bridge corridor alignments. The Calcasieu Bridge Partners is currently operating and maintaining the 5.5 mile corridor, with the exception of the actual bridge, which is still maintained by the LaDOTD until it is demolished. Hill encourages the SWLA community to sign up for the I-10 Project Update Newsletter by going to i10calcasieubridge.com.
