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Officials say location for new Mississippi River bridge could be identified within next year
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BATON ROUGE — After years of planning, the state is taking a major step toward building a new bridge over the Mississippi River, with one state representative saying that a bridge location could be identified within the next year.
State and local leaders met Monday for an update on the project's status before construction can begin. The main focus of the meeting was to find a way to pay for the massive project
State Rep. Dixon McMakin says that developing a financing plan could help move the project along.
"One of the reasons we passed legislation this year was to have state reps and state senators on board to try to expedite that process," McMakin said.
The proposed bridge will likely be built south of the existing I-10 Mississippi River Bridge, connecting the east and west sides of the river through a new corridor. An exact location, however, has not been selected, with three potential sites near Plaquemine.
"What is the least impacted area for this new bridge location?" East Baton Rouge Parish Director of Transportation and Drainage Fred Raiford asked.
McMakin and his fellow lawmakers say they are optimistic the project is getting closer thanks to state and parish governments.
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