U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was in Lake Charles in February to celebrate the announcement of a $150 million federal grant for the replacement of the Interstate 10-Calcasieu River Bridge — one of the first major grants out of the five-year Bipartisan Infrastructure Law meant to rebuild the nation’s roads and bridges. Now, that grant may be taken away.

“This bridge, as important as it is, is still relying on construction from just after World War II — structurally and functionally deficient today,” Buttigieg said during his Southwest Louisiana visit. “It was built to handle far fewer than the 80,000 daily crossings that are happening and because of the way I-10 narrows from six lanes to four — and a steep four lanes at that — it creates a lot of delays and contributes to a crash rate that’s about 66 percent higher than what is typical in this state.”

As a part of the grant’s statutes, the Louisiana Department of Transportation committed to providing at least $867 million — a little over half of the cost of the project — in non-federal contribution.

In recent months, however, the DOTD has had difficulties getting the Public Private Partnership (P3) — its plan with the Calcasieu Bridge Partners — to make up the price difference. The P3 plan would involve tolls, which was rejected by the state Joint Transportation Committee in October. The P3 expiration is set to expire Feb. 1, 2024.

“If words could build bridges, we would gotten this done a long time ago,” Buttigieg said during his February visit. “Talk doesn’t build bridges; funding does.”

Two weeks ago, the USDOT issued a letter — signed by acting MPDG Program Manager Aubrei Barton — to LADOTD Secretary Eric Kalivoda acknowledging the P3 rejection. “The Department recognizes the significant safety and economic benefits of this project, and was pleased to see the urgency with which LADOTD was prioritizing this important infrastructure. However, it has come to our attention that recent actions by the Louisiana State Legislature may challenge the ability of LADOTD to deliver the project in a timely manner.”

According to the letter, the LADOTD’s $867 million commitment is one of the reasons the I-10-Calcasieu River Bridge Replacement project was selected for the grant program. Another primary factor was the project’s timeline that stated construction could begin before Sept. 20, 2025.

USDOT is requesting that a proposed plan of finance and revised procurement schedule that would allow for construction to begin by Sept. 30, 2025, and for construction to be completed and operational by 2031 be submitted by the LADOTD by March 2024.

If the two entities are unable to come to terms on a grant agreement by Sept. 30, 2024, USDOT will rescind the $150 million award to make the funding available for other projects.