Ground has been broken on the long-awaited I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge in Lake Charles. The $2.3 billion project will replace the existing bridge that was built in the 1950s with a state-of-the-art structure engineered to meet 21st century demands. Lake Charles Mayor Marshall Simien says this is a huge day in the city’s history.
“Not only are we building bridges to culture, bridges to economics, bridges to connect our community, we’re building bridges to safety. We’re building bridges to save lives, and we’re building bridges that we are going to be proud to be talked about for the longest time,” Simien said.
$90,000 vehicles cross the current Lake Charles bridge that was completed in 1952.
When Governor Landry took office in 2024, he made it one of his priorities to find a way to fund a new Lake Charles Bridge. His solution was a public-private partnership with Calcasieu Bridge Partners that will use federal, state and toll dollars to build the bridge. Landry says 15% of the tolling revenues will go right back into the area.
“Which means that every time a citizen of this state pays this particular toll, they’re paying for future infrastructure improvements in Imperial Calcasieu forever,” Landry said.
The new bridge will not open until 2031, and it will be several years before toll rates will be determined. Landry says in the meantime, he’ll ask the federal government for more money.
“We should be able to shake a few more dollars out there to shore up our investment and get it paid off quicker so we can start working on other infrastructure projects around the area,” Landry said.