Team of business leaders looking at ways to fund replacement bridge
Published 5:25 pm Friday, May 18, 2018
John Guidroz
A new task force made up of 16 local business leaders is looking to fast-track the building of a new Interstate 10 bridge by offering state and federal officials recommendations for funding alternatives.
George Swift, Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance president and CEO, said during a news conference Thursday that the task force will meet regularly to discuss funding methods on the local, state and federal levels. A new I-10 bridge is a “$700 million to $1 billion project,” he said.
“It could be a public-private partnership; we’re looking at all the options,” Swift said.
Swift called the existing bridge “one of the weak links in the I-10 corridor” and said it isn’t designed to handle the estimated 90,000 vehicles that travel it daily. He said the business community’s support is essential to getting a new bridge built.
“We don’t want to wait 10 years,” Swift said. “We want to bring local, state and federal officials together, and let’s get this project done.”
Keith DuRousseau, task force chairman, said the business community needs to get ahead of the problem so the region doesn’t lose out on opportunities for economic growth.
“We feel that we’re obligated to work with our legislators to provide alternatives from a business perspective to help with solutions and recommendations,” DuRousseau said.
While state transportation officials have deemed the existing bridge structurally safe, Swift said it has reached “the end of its lifespan.” The steep incline and lack of lights and shoulders can cause major delays when crashes occur, he said.
DuRousseau mentioned an effort in Mobile, Ala., where public and private funds are being used to speed construction of a new bridge over the Mobile River.
The task force first met in October and has since looked into the bridge’s history, along with ways to pay for a new bridge. According to a news release, the Chamber Southwest Louisiana Board of Directors approved a resolution in February that let the task force continue working on the bridge replacement effort.
The chamber board will have to approve any task force recommendations before they are sent to state and federal officials, Swift said.
Swift said the state Department of Transportation and Development is working on potential designs for a new bridge. He said the height of a new bridge hasn’t been determined. The current bridge’s clearance is 135 feet.
Task force members include DuRousseau, Keiland Construction; Daryl Burckel, McNeese State University; Ernie Broussard, Hunt, Guillot and Associates; Ken Broussard, Broussard and Company, CPAs; Michael Davis, Golden Nugget; Marion Fox, Jeff Davis Parish Tourist Commission and Economic Development; Brent Lumpkin, Lumpkin Properties; Vernon Meyer, Meyer and Associates; John Pohorelsky, Scofield, Gerard, Pohorelsky, Gallaugher and Landry; Denise Rau, Rau Financial Group; Rick Richard, Empire of the Seed; Jim Rock, Lotte Chemical Corp.; and Bart Yakupzack, Jack Lawton Companies.
Ex-officio members are Tobie Hodgkins, Century 21 Bessette Realty and current chamber board chair; Ken Francis, Lake Charles Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United; and Swift.
