Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) has signed a contract with a joint venture for the construction of a new eight-lane crossing over the Calcasieu River at Lake Charles.
The joint venture consists of Plenary Americas US Holdings, Acciona Concesiones, Sacyr Infrastructure USA and Kapsch. It is known as Calcasieu Bridge Partners (link opens in new tab).
The notice to proceed is expected from LaDOTD later this spring, and the bridge has completion date of 2031. The project includes roadways, ramps, and service roads.
Proposed design for the Calcasieu Bridge.
The existing bridge dates from the 1950s, so it predates the interstate system. It has steep approaches and lacks hard shoulders. It will be demolished once the new bridge is operational.
US$1.2 billion of the funding has come from various state and federal sources; Calcasieu Bridge Partnership will raise the rest from tolls under a 50-year term.
