The proposals were presented to the council by representatives from engineering firms Brown & Mitchell, Neel-Schaffer and Pickering.

Aims of the project include provision of a safe and effective evacuation route for the city - which was hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 - as well as better traffic flow and a reduction in the number of times the bridge would have to open. The new bridge would have a 16.7m clearance, which would allow passage to almost all marine traffic and require opening typically no more than twice a week.