LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - State officials say the new I-10 bridge will run between the current bridge and the railroad tracks. This means businesses on Lakeshore Drive may have to relocate.
The bridge has been needing a replacement for over thirty years now, according to Jonathan Hill, the public information officer for the Calcasieu River Bridge project.
“Yes, the current status of the project, it is in its design phase, where the project team working through what the final design and the footprint of what the bridge would look like. Additionally, they are in the early stages of the right-of-way acquisition process,” Hill said.
Several businesses could potentially stand in the path of the new bridge’s blueprint.
Townsquare Media, home of Gator 99.5, says they received a letter and had DOT send a person out to their property to do an appraisal, but have yet to be made an offer.
“It’s our understanding, of what they told us, is that essentially, the feeder road will go straight through where this row of businesses is.... so that’ll be the feeder road to get to the ramp to get back onto I-10 West,” Amanda Cloud, market president of Townsquare Media said.
Hill says that the total number of properties that could be impacted is unclear at this time.
Hill added, “However, the right-of-way process has begun for some properties that will be impacted. That process is a confidential process, but that process does follow the real estate manual of Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.”
The new bridge is estimated to cost $2.3 billion.
There are environmental risks evaluations being done, and the Coast Guard and the US Army Corps of Engineers must go through a permitting approval.
Traffic will remain open on the current I-10 bridge during construction.
https://www.kplctv.com/2025/06/05/lake-charles-new-i-10-bridge-begins-new-stage-development/