A SWLA Economic Development Alliance Perspective: Interstate 10 Calcasieu River Bridge Bridge Overview Opened to traffic in 1952, the Interstate 10 Calcasieu River Bridge is a through truss structure with a length of 6,605 feet, width of 52.4 feet with the longest span measuring 420.8 feet. Currently, the bridge services an estimated 70,000 motorists per day. This bridge represents one of two interstate roadways that are traveled on by motorists in the Lake Charles/Sulphur metro area, the other being Interstate 210. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development intends to replace the bridge “with a multi-span girder bridge. The new bridge will have three 12-foot travel lanes, 12-foot shoulders and be approximately 7,600 feet in length. Traffic will be maintained by use of the existing bridge while the new bridge is under construction. Additional right-of-way will be required.” This project is currently in the process of review by the state and consultants for an Environmental Impact Statement, which is expected to be completed in the winter of 2018.
Bridge facts Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development proposes to replace the bridge. Federal Highway Administration has two performance measurements for bridges: good condition and poor condition, the Calcasieu River Bridge is considered to be in poor condition. Louisiana intends to obtain federal funds for the project, but current budgetary constraints make it impossible for the state to meet the match. I-10 Bridge is rated “functionally obsolete” by the National Bridge Inventory. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development regards the bridge as structurally sound. The bridge has been designated a “priority mega-structure” for replacement. The bridge is outdated and needs to be replaced for safety reasons. Currently, it has no shoulders or lighting. Department of Transportation ranking it at 24.9 out of 100. Calcasieu River Bridge is the lowest scoring bridge on the list of Deficient Bridges in Louisiana. I-35 West Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis, Minn., that collapsed and killed over a dozen while injuring 145 was rated a 50. The bridge is important because it sits in the middle of the Interstate 10 corridor from California to Florida. The bridge is located in the heart of America’s clean energy revolution with over $121 billion in economic investment, the bulk of which is related to liquefied natural gas. Currently, the state and HNTB (engineering consulting company) are compiling an Environmental Impact Statement which according to DOTD, “an Environmental Impact Statement is a full-disclosure document, prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), that details the process through which a transportation project is developed. It includes a considerable range of alternatives, demonstrates compliance with environmental laws and provides a means for public input into the decision-making process.”