DOTD hopes to have top location for new Mississippi River Bridge picked out by early 2025
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The Department of Transportation and Development is beginning the groundwork to narrow down the top location for a new Mississippi River Bridge in the capital region.
While funding is still to be worked out for the proposed multi-billion dollar bridge, neighbors in St. Gabriel and Plaquemines Point are calling for one option to be taken out of the running.
“Can 11-4 be taken out of consideration?” Cliff Comeaux asked the DOTD Secretary.
At the end of 2023, three options in Iberville Parish were chosen as the three most feasible options for a bridge location. The option the community members are most concerned with cuts through forested areas that residents say are protected.
“It would just be a tragedy that they would choose that site and cut those trees down and damage those trees,” said Mary Elmassian, who grew up in St. Gabriel.
Public hearings will be part of the environmental study for the three options, where these community members plan to make their voices heard. Then a single option will be submitted to the federal government for final approval.
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“DOTD with the consultant will prepare all of the materials, will do all of the legwork and the field work… (We])will prepare the document and submit that to FHWA. But FHWA does have to approve what we submit,” said DOTD Secretary Joe Donahue.
The beginning phases of the Hwy 1 to Hwy 30 connector project are underway, which DOTD believes will help set the stage for better traffic flow on a new bridge.
Public meetings will begin this fall to talk about what the preferred alternative will be out of those three options. The preferred option will be decided in early 2025.
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