There are five locations along the Mississippi River that the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is looking into for a possible new bridge.
“There are only five locations that the Coast Guard will allow a bridge to be built because of the way the river moves,” said DOTD Secretary Dr. Shawn Wilson.
Option 1 – Brusly to Baton Rouge
Option 2 – Addis to Baton Rouge
Option 3 – South of Plaquemine to St. Gabriel
Option 4 – Addis to St. Gabriel
Option 5 – Plaquemine to St. Gabriel
(Source: WAFB)
Dr. Wilson says there’s so much more involved than picking where a bridge could go.
“Which one has the most utility lines in the way? Which one will have the most traffic? Which one will offer the least amount of right of way acquisitions that will require displacements of families or businesses? Those are the comparisons you make. It’s not as simple as saying, ‘I want to cross right here,’” said Wilson.
Crafting a public-private partnership could hold the key to financing a new $1 billion bridge across the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, according to members of a new panel tackling the issue and the lawmaker who helped create it.
The commission, which faces huge financial and political hurdles, met for the first time last week amid speculation on whether some combination of tolls, sales and property taxes could win voter approval, and make a new bridge reality.
But state Sen. Rick Ward III, R-Port Allen, who sponsored the 2018 law, said tax hikes should be a last resort in trying to answer daily motorists complaints about backups on both sides of the river.
Ward said the state needs a creative financing approach, like a public-private partnership, for the brunt of the costs.
Under such an agreement, one or more firms would agree to handle construction costs in exchange for a long-term revenue stream, including a profit. “I don’t see any other way for it to get done,” Ward said.
East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Broome, one of five area parish presidents on the commission, is mindful that voters in East Baton Rouge Parish just approved a half-cent sales tax boost.
That measure will generate nearly $912 million for parish road and bridge needs.
Broome said that, in her role as a member of the advisory board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, finding ways to make more use of public-private partnerships is a recurring theme.
She also said finding a location for the bridge — there are five under review — should be a priority.
While talk about a new bridge has gone on for two decades, sporadic efforts to make it happen in the Louisiana Legislature have gone nowhere.
The current bridge that gets most of the traffic is more than a half-century old, but Louisiana also has a nearly $14 billion backlog of transportation needs.
“The bottom line is we are talking about money, and the state don’t have any,” Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa said.
Matassa said a public-private partnership could help the project move faster.
Livingston Parish President Layton Ricks, another member of the panel, said it would be unfair for residents of just five of the state’s 64 parishes to pay for a new bridge.
He said he doubts voters in Livingston Parish would back a tax hike for a bridge in Baton Rouge. “I absolutely think it is going to have to be public-private,” Ricks said.
He said federal dollars and toll revenue are also needed.
Ward’s legislation created the Capitol Area Road and Bridge District, which is run by a seven-member commission.
The panel includes the presidents of East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension and Livingston parishes; Shawn Wilson, secretary for the state Department of Transportation and Development; and Baton Rouge developer Mike Wampold, who was named by Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Aside from tolls, the panel has the authority to ask voters to approve a sales tax hike of up to 1 percent, a property tax increase in the five parishes and a bond issue.
“I think this group is powerfully suited to help us build momentum and public interest,” Wilson said.
Louisiana has limited experience with public-private partnerships.
A $122 million project to replace the Belle Chasse tunnel and nearby movable bridge is being financed through a public-private partnership, federal dollars and toll revenue.
In 2015, a state panel rejected a public-private deal offered by AECOM, a giant engineering firm, to build an $800 million, high-speed toll road around Baton Rouge.
Wilson said private officials from China, Australia, Europe and Canada have expressed interest in teaming up with the state to build a new bridge.
“Lots of them have been in our office talking about the P3 possibilities in Louisiana, and that is absolutely one of the prime targets,” Wilson said of the Baton Rouge project.
Wilson said for the Belle Chasse project, different companies handle tolls, construction, engineering and customer service.
While five potential bridge crossings are under review, more could be added, DOTD officials said.
On the west side of the river, they range from just south of Brusly on La. 1 to south of Plaquemine, roughly across from St. Gabriel on the east side.
All five would empty eastbound traffic onto La. 30, or Nicholson Drive, from just north of Gardere Lane to just north of St. Gabriel.
Costs range to just over $1 billion. More money would be required to upgrade connector routes on both sides of the river — La. 1 and La. 30.
One of the projects to be funded by the half-cent sales tax boost in East Baton Rouge Parish is La. 30 between Brightside Drive and the Iberville Parish line.
Three of the five potential locations were part of talks to build a loop around Baton Rouge.
That push died in part because of spats among officials in the same parishes trying to find a way to finance a new bridge.
“I was really excited about this thing and thought we had a really good chance,” West Baton Rouge Parish President Riley “Pee Wee” Berthelot said of the bridge effort.
All that changed when East Baton Rouge voters approved the half-cent sales tax last December.
“It kind of blew it out of the water,” Berthelot said. “Now I am not so optimistic how it is going to get done.”
Berthelot said a public-private partnership is one option, and he and Ward noted that Shaw Group founder Jim Bernhard said in December that his firm — Bernhard Capital Partners — would be willing to help underwrite the costs of a bridge.
Berthelot also said West Baton Rouge, Ascension and Iberville parishes could generate nearly $30 million a year by boosting their sales tax by half a cent, with the money used for road improvements entering and leaving the bridge.
Mitch Ourso, president of Iberville Parish, said using a public-private partnership to pay for much of the project is a viable option.
“Will it happen? I don’t know,” Ourso said.
Ourso has sought assurances that businesses, which would be most affected in any property or sales tax hike, would get behind any measure submitted to voters.
Ward said voters would support a plan that spells out specific projects rather than giving state government a blank check.
“Let’s put the plan together as efficiently as possible, get a price-tag, figure out how we pay for it and let’s go build.”
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) highlighted some potential options for a new Baton Rouge bridge Tuesday in front of a new committee that’s trying to end the area’s traffic nightmare.
(Source: WAFB)
It all happened in the first meeting of the Capital Area Road and Bridge District, created by Sen. Rick Ward, R-Port Allen, to find out-of-the-box funding solutions for a new bridge.
“We have all known for some time that it’s beyond the point of necessity,” Ward said. “It’s almost a crisis situation that we get something done.”
On Tuesday, Feb. 5, DOTD planning experts presented portions of 2016 research that recommended a new bridge connecting to LA 30 south of Baton Rouge. That proposal calls for a suspension bridge similar to the Audubon Bridge in St. Francisville, although that could be amended to a standard truss bridge.
“It’s a real liquid, fluid process in terms of project delivery,” DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson said. “The project is going to tell you when it’s ready. It’s going to go as fast as this group, with the state’s support.”
The plans also call for the bridge to have three lanes bordered by full shoulders going in both directions, for a total of six lanes and four shoulders, where law enforcement can move wrecks. The Horrace Wilkinson Bridge in Baton Rouge does not have shoulder space to accommodate the crashes that often lead to backups and jams.
The bridge is expected to cost between $700 million and $1 billion, not including the road work that must be done to connect it to existing infrastructure. Right now, it appears the bridge would let out on Nicholson Drive, which is already set to be expanded with the MovEBR sales tax.
(Source: WAFB)
The district could also choose to construct a bypass that would bring in more toll revenue and could handle more traffic, although it would require more money to build because it would go through wetlands. Otherwise, an expanded LA 30 could have some stoplights removed and become more like an expressway, similar to the Pineville Expressway I-49 connector near Alexandria.
DOTD says tolls could only cover 17 percent of the cost of a new bridge, meaning it would require other revenue streams, like a tax increase. Voters in the five-parish capital region would vote on the final plan, including any tax proposals.
A new bridge would also eliminate the need for the Plaquemine Ferry, so those operating costs could be diverted toward construction.
Original Article by Matt Houston at WAFB Copyright 2019 WAFB. All rights reserved.
BATON ROUGE – Every day, thousands of people drive across the Mississippi River Bridge. Many know that at any given time, one incident can turn flowing traffic into a traffic jam.
The Capital Area Road and Bridge District looks to add another way across the river to ease that congestion. That group will meet for the first time Tuesday morning to discuss funding options.
The group is made up of representatives from five parishes (East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, Iberville, and Livingston), a member of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, and a representative from Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Office. The representatives were brought together with the passage of Senate Bill 496, sponsored by Sen. Rick Ward.
Ward says money for the bridge would be put up for a private donor, but that loan would be repaid with a toll. The senator thinks a tax is also needed. He also believes that money would pay for the bridge, roads leading up to the bridge, and additional expenses.
In December, Baton Rouge investor Jim Bernhard announced his company, Bernhard Capital Partners, is prepared to finance the entire $1.3 billion project.
Ward says it will be up to each parish to determine if they want to participate in the new bridge plan. It’s possible a tax for the new bridge ends up on the fall ballot.
What could a new bridge crossing the Mississippi River look like? The Capital Area Road and Bridge District explored various options during its first meeting this morning at the State Capitol.
“One bridge might cost $800 million, but one at another location might cost $1.1 billion,” says state Sen. Rick Ward, R-Port Allen, who created the five-parish coalition and tasked it with finding a way to fund the new bridge. “There are so many factors—whether it’s going to be a toll road, which locations will spend the most on tolls, and so forth.”
Based on Department of Transportation and Development presentations, the new bridge and its feeder roads could mirror one of two basic, six-lane options: 1) an interstate-quality freeway connecting Interstate 10 in West Baton Rouge Parish to I-10 in Ascension Parish, and 2) a conventional highway and expressway system connecting LA 1 with LA 30. The second option would also include building a connector between LA 415 and LA 1, upgrading LA 1 to the new expressway as well as widening and upgrading LA 30 to expressway standards.
While DOTD Deputy Secretary Eric Kalivoda said the freeway option could be a better long-term investment and generate more toll revenue, it’s also more expensive, more difficult to phase construction and is potentially controversial, with environmental concerns.
Also during his presentation, Kalivoda recommended against including rail in the new bridge, which he said could add anywhere from $1.5 billion to $2 billion to the cost of a highway bridge.
The presentation included several funding options that could lessen the amount of a needed new tax. Construction of a new bridge would eliminate the Plaquemines Ferry, meaning the current value of running the ferry for another 40 years could instead be credited toward the cost of the project. All five parishes could also opt to use their 40-year Road Transfer Program tax credits toward the bridge.
What wasn’t discussed at today’s meeting is who will chair the coalition. Ward says the task will be at the top of the agenda for the next meeting, which hasn’t been scheduled yet but will likely take place in the next four to six weeks.
“Today, there was more of a focus on the information itself,” Ward says. “At the next meeting, they’ll choose who they think will have the time allotment to do it and the ability to deal with everything as it comes forward.”
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) – Moving forward in developing a third Mississippi River bridge is a top transportation and economic priority for the Baton Rouge area, Baton Rouge Area Chamber President Adam Knapp announced at a Monday meeting.
“It’s years past time, probably decades past time, for constructing a new Mississippi River bridge. I-12 has been widened, I-10 widely has its funding, or at least most of the funding necessary for its work. Washington Street is being addressed, and I-10 in Ascension is almost finished,” Knapp said during this week’s press club.
Capital Area Road and Bridge District, or CARBD, a five-parish regional taxing authority charged with finding a way to finance a new bridge, is finishing up its environmental assessment, according to Knapp. The assessment will determine the feasibility, design, coast and location of the bridge, which Knapp calls the “Capitol Expressway.”
Its first meeting is scheduled for February 5 at the State Capitol.
“We worked last year with State Senator Rick Ward III to help pass the legislation for the bridge district,” Knapp said. “And this is the year to really get that work kick-started. Lots of studies have occurred since 2008 to advance the south bridge project.”
Funding the project through tolls is a possibility, according to Knapp. If tolls cover 100 percent of bridge costs, proposal requests will need to be submitted in order to elect developers who could finance and construct the project. If tolls can’t solely fund the project, Knapp explains, then officials will determine costs after tolls are maxed out.
In the past, Sen. Rick Ward, R-Port Allen, who sponsored the bill to create CARBD, told the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report a half-cent sales tax could help pay for the bridge, generating $90 million a year among the five-parish region. The bridge is expected to cost more than $1 billion.
“I actually think that in the optimism of what we’ve seen in the last twelve months for solutions for transportation, we can overcome these questions, given the political will and the unity of this project, we see a lot of excitement for this project to be real,” Knapp said.
Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome’s recently passed her MovEBR tax proposal, which aims to relieve traffic congestion in the Baton Rouge area, could also contribute to bridge funding. Broome had expressed plans to be involved in the project that falls in line with the half-cent tax proposal.
A 2018 Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) survey indicated business owners think the biggest obstacle in the way of economic growth in Baton Rouge is traffic. BRAC officials said the local economy is growing and has a rebounding population from the 2016 floods.
A bill to form a commission to devise ways to fund and construct a new bridge across the Mississippi River was signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards and is now law, said the bill’s author, state Sen. Rick Ward.
“The overall concept is basically the same as the bill I originally filed, with only small changes,” he said. “The commission will be made up with representatives from the five parishes involved, Iberville, East Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston and West Baton Rouge parishes.
“One of the changes from the original bill is the make-up of the commission,” Ward said. “It will be made up of each of the parishes’ five presidents or their designees.”
Additionally, the board will consist of seven members, the final two being one appointed by the governor and the other will be La. Department of Transportation and Development Dr. Shawn Wilson.
“A lot of people believe that this is a taxing district and it’s not really,” Ward said. “This is an authority, a board designed to try to put together a plant and the hope is to try and get as much public-private partnership as possible.”
“There are other projects around the state that have done as much as 100 percent of the funding for projects like this through public-private partnerships,” he continued.
Ward said he believes there is a good chance that a private equity firm would buy into the project, bond out 100 percent of the funds needed (around $1.2 billion) and that firm would get paid of with tolls over a very extended period of time,” Ward said.
He said he wants the commission to explore every possible avenue of funding.
“While there are a menu of options for the tax side of this project, our first goal is to try to run as much as we can through a public-private partnership,” Ward said.
“You would also think that some of the chemical plants on both sides of Iberville Parish would seriously consider providing their employees with annual passes,” he continued.
The funding mechanism was not included in the bill, Ward said, because he didn’t want to restrict the commission’s opportunities.
“I didn’t want to hamstring it by just using one option and I wanted to be able to be open as possible on funding options,” Ward said.
“The people I talk to really seem to be interested in knowing about this part of the bill – these dollars generated by the commission cannot be used by the state,” he said. “These dollars have to be used by the five-parish region.”
“These dollars cannot be swept away by the state, they have to remain in this five—parish district and for this project only,” Ward continued, saying many Louisiana citizens recall a multitude of projects the voted for taxes to accomplish, only to have the state shuffle the money into its general fund.
The bill, Act 488, received overwhelming support from both sides of the Legislature. The House voted 81-0-2 in favor, two members were absent, while it passed unanimously through the Senate, 35-0.
“I think that a lot of people like the concept and are hoping they’ll see it be successful,” Ward said.
He confirmed a report that the presidents of four of the five parishes have acknowledged their support of the project, minus the opinion of Sharon Weston Broome, the president of the East Baton Rouge Parish government.
“I have n reason to believe at this point that all of the parish would be willing to work with us,” Ward said.
“I think we’re going to have a good collective effort and I think people are going to be excited about this,” he continued. “I think we’re going to get something done.”
Bill offered by state Sen. Rick Ward (R-Maringouin) would form a commission to try to come up with the means to build a bridge south of Baton Rouge to ease traffic pressure on I-10 bridge.
Iberville Parish President Mitchell Ourso has been pushing for a bridge somewhere south of Baton Rouge to ease traffic for years and a bill recently introduced by Sen. Rick Ward (R-Maringouin) could make that dream a reality.
Ward’s bill calls for the formation of a commission to work on a plan to finance the construction and its location. Voters in five parishes will have to approve the creation of the commission – Iberville, East and West Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension.
The commission would be responsible for finding the funding needed – and there are numerous options – and any tax or toll proposed by the group would have to be voted on by the residents of those five parishes.
The state Senate has already passed the proposal and Ward said it would be considered by the House of Representatives Tuesday, after the Post South deadline. If it is approved by the state’s representatives, it would be sent to Gov. John Bel Edwards for his signature and then be placed on a future ballot.
The need for another bridge has existed for decades, Ourso said, and as industries continue to expand or construct new plants in Iberville Parish, the problem has escalated since the mid-2000s.
“In the early 2000s, traffic really wasn’t too bad,” he said, but with the construction of Shintech south of Plaquemine and the population distribution created by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, traffic “has been a constant issue over the last 12, 13 years.”
“I think the push for a new bridge only started in the mid-2000s,” Ourso said. “But we’ve been blessed here in the greater Baton Rouge area with a good economy,” putting even more traffic on La. 1 and I-10. “I think that after ’05, if I had to pinpoint it, is when we started having a boom in our industry,” he said, and traffic has only gotten worse since then creating what he considers to be the necessity for a new bridge, according to Ourso.
“I think that after ’05, if I had to pinpoint it, is when we started having a boom in our industry,” he said, and traffic has only gotten worse since then creating what he considers to be the necessity for a new bridge, according to Ourso.
Read full story by Tommy Comeaux at the Plaquemine Post South
Two parishes have now signed a cooperative endeavor agreement to perform a study for a new Mississippi River bridge.
Iberville and Ascension Parishes have set aside a combined $300,000 for a study to assist the Department of Transportation and Development with investigating the feasibility of constructing an additional bridge over the river.
“Ascension has partnered with Iberville of knowing the necessity of another bridge,” said Iberville Parish President Mitch Ourso. “If a bridge is going to be thought about, we just want some consideration.”
During the 2014 Legislative Session, House Resolution 192 requested the DOTD to consult with local governing authorities to begin a study of the feasibility of a new bridge.
DOTD is pursuing the study of three potential crossings between the I-10 bridge and the Sunshine bridge. A study would not be completed until the first quarter of 2015.
Ourso says there’s no telling where this new bridge will go if one is built, but when a loop was studied in Iberville, it went south of Plaquemine, near Bayou Goula.
“We still have a ferry,” he said. “I just want to be looked at, just a little consideration.”
