Calcasieu Parish Tolling Authority Bill for New I-10 Bridge Passed by the Louisiana House

The Louisiana House passed Louisiana House Bill 561 (LA HB561) of the 2019 session on April 29, 2019, to create a Calcasieu Parish Tolling Authority. Previously the House Transportation Committee passed the bill on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. This would be the authority over the proposed new I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge to be built using funding through a public-private-partnership (P3).

State Representative Mark Abraham authored the bill which passed through the House with a 93-1 vote. The bill will now go to the Louisiana Senate.

A Summary of LA HB 561:

AN ACT 2 To enact Chapter 36 of Title 48 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised 3 of R.S. 48:2191 through 2204, relative to the creation of the Calcasieu Parish Tolling 4 Authority; to provide for definitions; to establish a board of directors; to specify the 5 purpose, powers, jurisdiction, and duties of the authority; to provide relative to the 6 ethics code and public records; to provide relative to tolls, bonds, and other revenue; 7 to provide relative to certain projects, acquisition of land, and utilities; to provide 8 relative to public-private partnership projects; and to provide for related matters.

More Information about LA HB 561 and a Proposed I-10 Calcasieu River Toll Bridge

Over the past few months, there have been many residents in Southwest Louisiana who are against a toll on a new I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge There have also been several people who have said that they are willing to pay a toll if it gets a new bridge build faster.

Read the full version of LA HB 561 and track its progress.

I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge and Infrastructure Improvements Virtual Meeting

Find out more about the proposed new I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge here.