The Chamber of Southwest Louisiana (SWLA) has recommended that the I-10 Calcasieu River bridge be replaced through a public-private partnership (P3). The current bridge opened for traffic in 1952 and was designed for a traffic load of 37,000 per day and a 50-year life span.

The I-10 Bridge Task Force has concluded that if the bridge is not replaced in the next five years, Southwest Louisiana, the state and the entire country could suffer drastic commercial and strategic consequences, including loss of life, devasting traffic congestion, loss of large scale capital investment and distribution delays. 

The bridge replacement is proposed to consist of a six-lane roadway with shoulders and a pedestrian walkway, located immediately north of, and parallel to, the existing bridge, with ingress and egress at Sampson Street over the railway into the City of Westlake. The I-10 Task Force believes that the new bridge could be completed within three years with the cooperation of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD).

Following extensive due diligence, the I-10 Bridge Task Force has concluded that the bridge can only be replaced in a reasonable period of time through a P3. The next step is for the I-10 Bridge Task Force and the Chamber SWLA to work with the SWLA legislative delegation to file any necessary legislation in the upcoming session and to ask the LADOTD and the governor to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for private ventures to design, finance, construct, maintain and concession the new Interstate 10 Calcasieu River Bridge by entering into the P3 partnership.

The I-10 Bridge Task Force recommends that local contractors and vendors be given priority for service to the private venture and is hopeful that the project will start within the next 18 months.