Louisiana DOTD Invites Private Partners for I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge Replacement Project

Published July 15, 2021

Lake Charles, LA – Today, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D., invited four private companies to submit proposals for delivering the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge Replacement project in Calcasieu Parish. This project will extend from the I-10/I-210 west interchange to the Ryan Street exit ramp on the east side of the bridge and will reconstruct the Calcasieu River Bridge and the interstate mainline, and improve and reconfigure a segment of LA 378 (Sampson Street) from I-10 to Sulphur Avenue.

The Public-Private Partnership, also known as a P3, allows a public entity by contractual arrangement with the private sector to share skills, assets, and risks to deliver a transportation facility for the use of the general public. The private entity selected will enter into a comprehensive agreement for the design, construction, financing, as well as operation, and maintenance of the new Calcasieu River Bridge.

“This bridge was constructed in 1952 and is reaching the end of its life span,” said Wilson. “The state, and this area, has seen tremendous growth over the past 70 years and we must have infrastructure that supports the needs of our communities and motorists. With innovative financing such as a P3, we are able to modernize our transportation system with the help of the private sector.”

DOTD reported that it received 37 letters of interest for the Public-Private Partnership in March. The notice of intent was published in January with a contract award anticipated in Spring 2023.

The larger project, extending from the I-10/I-210 east to I-10/I-210 west interchanges, is currently in the environmental phase. Three alternatives have been identified and will be evaluated in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). A public hearing is anticipated in the fall of 2021 with a Record of Decision by early 2022.

Featured image source: LADOTD