Latest Weather Blog
Location for new Mississippi River Bridge should be unveiled by next August
Related Story
BATON ROUGE - The quest to fight traffic in the Capital Area slogs on as a new bridge location has yet to be finalized.
Members of the Capital Area Road and Bridge District (CARBD) met for their quarterly update on the project Monday afternoon.
The three potential sites, all in Iberville Parish, still need to undergo a series of studies and analyses to determine which one is the "preferred alternative."
"We should have a FONSI, or an environmental assessment, on the three alternatives that they have left probably by August, so we got to wait on that before we can know anything else," said West Baton Rouge Parish President "Pee Wee" Berthelot.
Originally that date was supposed to be spring, but has now been pushed to summer. Engineers blame the unexpected amount of time it took to get contracts in place.
But even once a site is selected, it will be years before construction can begin.
"The question is, when are they going to build it? When we tell somebody that they're four to five years before they can start construction--it's just crazy. People don't want to hear that."
The bridge itself is expected to cost around $1.5 billion, while other projects like connectors could double the cost.
Right now, the legislature has allocated $300 million plus an extra $40 million a year out of the state budget.
C.A.R.B.D members say this upcoming election cycle will be critical to secure the rest of the funding.
"The thrust of the meeting today was try to get and educate the new legislator and maybe the new governor's staff, whoever that may be, to buy in and support us on this new bridge."
Once the bridge is built, it will be a toll bridge expected to generate upwards of $250 million a year.
News
