USD/BTC = $104,254 Block 922,199 TL:DR

The Health and Safety Council (HASC) Louisiana and the West Calcasieu Chamber of Commerce hosted the Louisiana Bridge Builders in an information-sharing session Oct. 28, 2025, at the HASC Louisiana location in Sulphur.

`At the meeting, officials said that construction on the new Interstate 10/Calcasieu River Bridge in Lake Charles, La., will begin in March 2026.’

The consortium behind the $2.4 billion project is Calcasieu Bridge Partners (CBP), a joint venture of Los Angeles-based Plenary Americas, the lead developer and equity investor; and two multi-national construction companies and investors: Acciona Concesiones S.L. and Sacyr Infrastructure USA LLC, which together make up the design-build team. The world headquarters for both firms are in Madrid, Spain.

The Calcasieu River bridge project is located on a 5.5-mi. corridor stretching from near Ryan Street in Lake Charles west to the I-210 and I-10 interchange in Westlake.

Along with the new bridge and approaches, the project includes the interstate roadways and ramps, the I-10 service roads, and interchanges at PPG Drive, Sampson Street, and North Lakeshore/Ryan Street that connect I-10 to state roads and local streets. In addition, Sampson Street will be elevated over the railroad tracks to eliminate blockages from trains.

Information on the Calcasieu River Bridge project page online notes that the existing span was built more than 70 years ago and predates the United States interstate system. The structure is narrow, lacks shoulders and has steep approach grades. Conversely, the new bridge will be lower and not as steep, but will have more lanes, full shoulders and roadway lighting.

In addition, the project will be constructed in four segments simultaneously. Traffic is anticipated to shift to the new bridge in February 2030 and once that is done, demolition efforts will begin on the current bridge.

American Press, the daily news source in Lake Charles, reported Oct. 30 that the new structure's height will be reduced from 152 ft. to between 75 ft. and 95 ft., which will make for a much smoother ride, according to Johnathan Hill, the public information officer for the I-10 Calcasieu Bridge Project.

In addition, Hill told the newspaper that I-10 will remain open throughout the construction process.

The new bridge also will feature enhanced lighting that is shaped in an arch to mimic the truss design of the current interstate bridge's main span.

Four towers have been designed as part of the new structure and within the towers, drivers will see replicas of the more than 5,000 pairs of decorative crossed pistols built into the old bridge.

Cast-iron pistols were installed on the railing of the original bridge during its construction in the early 1950s. The unique feature symbolized Southwest Louisiana's pirate history, particularly the legend of Jean Lafitte.

Hill added that the original pistols will be given to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) once the old bridge is demolished. After that, it will be up to the state agency to decide what to do with them.

The new bridge also will have three travel lanes and a set of shoulders on each side of the freeway as well as a pair of auxiliary lanes to enter and exit the bridge.

In addition, electronic tolling is to be included on the new Calcasieu River Bridge, slated to begin operating in August 2031.

Recent construction efforts on the I-10 bridge project include the relocation of the common duct bank, which moves the Calcasieu Parish utilities into one centralized location. Its trial embankment work also is under way in two locations north and south of the I-10 bridge in Westlake and Lake Charles.

"This is where we're looking to test how the ground settles with the dirt's significant amount of weight," Hill told American Press.

The project has received approval from the Louisiana DOTD to release right-of-way maps to assist local residents and business owners in understanding what parcels will be affected with the new bridge corridor alignments.

Calcasieu Bridge Partners is currently operating and maintaining the bridge's road corridor, although not the bridge itself, which the state transportation department will continue to oversee until the structure is demolished.

👏👏👏 fantastic project! Replacing a 70 year old bridge costs 23k in BTC! Much needed infrastructure work! Hopefully the team can deliver by 2030!