DOTD and developer outline timeline, tolling and local impacts for I‑10 Calcasieu River bridge project

Calcasieu Parish Police Jurors heard a presentation Sept. 4 from Jonathan S. Hill, public information manager for the I‑10 Calcasieu River Bridge project, outlining the project scope, schedule, and local impacts. The Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) remains the owner of the corridor; the developer is Calcasieu Bridge Partners, which holds a 50‑year concession to operate and maintain the corridor after construction.

Hill said the project will replace the existing 1952 bridge with a new 5.5‑mile corridor between the I‑210 interchange in Westlake and Ryan Street in Lake Charles, widen I‑10 to six travel lanes plus two auxiliary lanes, and add an elevated Sampson Street overpass to avoid train delays. He said traffic will be maintained on I‑10 throughout construction. "No. I‑10 will remain open throughout construction," Hill said during the presentation.

The presentation included a project visualization video and renderings showing enhanced bridge lighting that echoes the current bridge arch, lowered bridge elevation (estimated 75–95 feet), and a new electronic tolling system called GoPass. Hill said tolling will be electronic (transponder or license‑plate billing) and that there will be a roughly 13‑month window between the traffic shift and tolling: traffic is scheduled to shift to the new alignment in February 2030…