Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Belle Chasse Tolls topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents and business owners tell lawmakers Belle Chasse bridge tolls devastated local economy; DOTD says tolling suspended and dispute resolution underway
Summary
Dozens of Plaquemines Parish residents and business owners told lawmakers Nov. 5 that tolls and large fees charged at the Belle Chasse bridge produced sharp drops in local commerce and, in some cases, severe bills; the Department of Transportation said tolling has been suspended while it pursues dispute resolution with the private operator.
Scores of business owners and residents from Plaquemines Parish told the joint committee on Nov. 5 that tolls and associated fees charged by the private operator of the Belle Chasse bridge caused steep revenue declines and financial distress.
Owners and managers of restaurants, tackle shops, marinas and other small businesses described sales falling sharply after toll enforcement and said many customers stopped visiting when initial bills arrived with administrative and collection fees. Business owners offered concrete figures: several reported month-over-month sales declines ranging from double-digit percentages to 70% during months tolls were collected. One witness said her store’s sales rose 176% in October after tolls were suspended.
Witnesses testified that people received bills of several hundred to thousands of dollars and that administrative and mailing fees compounded charges. Local elected officials and parish leaders told the committee their communities rely on short trips across the bridge for everyday commerce, school runs and services and that tolls imposed a disproportionate burden on a small parish.
Secretary Lade and DOTD staff said the department issued a letter to the private concessionaire, Plenary Infrastructure (BelleChase partners), citing potential material failures under the comprehensive agreement and invoking the agreement’s dispute-resolution process; tolling was formally suspended while DOTD and the concessionaire work through that process. DOTD said it has opened a local customer service center in Belle Chasse and reported that mediation or other dispute-resolution steps are expected in the coming weeks. The department said it would cooperate with the governor’s office and legal counsel as the process proceeds.
Lawmakers and witnesses urged the state to explore buyout or other remedies to remove tolling from daily commuter traffic; the transcript records multiple requests from members to report the contractual buyout price and for DOTD to protect local residents. At least two members urged rapid resolution due to ongoing economic harm. DOTD noted pending litigation and said certain negotiation details cannot be disclosed publicly while processes proceed.
—Reported from the Nov. 5 Joint Transportation, Highway and Public Works Committee meeting in Baton Rouge.
