DOTD trims Mississippi River bridge sites to three in Iberville Parish

BATON ROUGE – Iberville Parish would be the web site of a brand new Mississippi River Bridge proposed to hyperlink La.1 to La. 30, the state Division of Transportation chief stated Friday.

The announcement throughout a gathering of Capital Space Roads & Bridges District on the State Capital narrowed the variety of potential websites from 10 to a few.

One web site is on the north finish of Plaquemine, whereas the opposite two prospects are south of town, about eight miles from White Fort.

The choice introduced Iberville Parish President J. Mitchell Ourso’s longtime marketing campaign for a brand new bridge a lot nearer to actuality. He has been outspoken greater than twenty years concerning the want for a bridge.

The continual progress of the petrochemical business on each side of the river has created hundreds of jobs for residents throughout south Louisiana and has pumped a whole lot of tens of millions of {dollars} into the state financial system.

It has additionally introduced way more visitors to each side of the river.

“There’s nonetheless a variety of work to do, however I used to be impressed with the quantity of people that got here to the neighborhood conferences for the bridge and the quantity of people that had been from Iberville Parish,” Ourso stated as he waited in a visitors jam atop the Mississippi River Bridge instantly after the assembly.

Iberville had the most important variety of residents who attended the conferences, he stated.

The bridge will serve an extra objective for the parish, he stated.

“We lastly get to marry the east facet and west facet … we lastly get to type a wedding,” Ourso stated. “We’ve been separated for years, and now we are able to type a robust marriage the place we are able to unite the east and west sides of the parish … it’s been approach too lengthy.”

The suggestions from DOTD and Atlas Technical Consultants will result in a refined evaluation of the three options, as a part of the requirement to fully the federally mandated environmental impression research.

“The truth that DOTD has held to the preliminary timeline of this mission exhibits the dedication this administration has to creating a brand new bridge a actuality,” Gov. John Bel Edwards stated. “It’s essential to notice that this whole course of should be adopted to obtain federal approval and federal funds. As we transfer into the following stage, I encourage DOTD and CARB-D to proceed to observe the federal laws, hold the general public knowledgeable, and make the very best resolution attainable for the ultimate location.”

DOTD held six public conferences on the finish of April and in early Might at six areas within the 4 impacted parishes. Greater than 2,200 public feedback had been obtained.

“The choice to pick out these three areas was primarily based on all the knowledge we now have gathered previously two years,” DOTD Secretary and American Affiliation of State Freeway and Transportation Officers President Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D. stated. “The narrowing resolution thought of visitors and environmental impacts, in addition to public feedback. “It is a monumental milestone to slim 32 attainable websites down to those three,” he stated. “Whereas this bridge has been wanted and mentioned for many years, that is the closest we now have ever been to creating this wanted bridge a actuality. That is one more instance of this administration’s dedication to infrastructure enhancements.”

Wilson stated he anticipates no less than two years for completion of the environmental research.

Committee Chairman Jay Campbell requested concerning the impression bridge development might deliver to the visitors alongside La. 1, significantly in Plaquemine.

“We don’t wish to focus all visitors on La. 1 simply to get to this bridge,” he stated.

Site visitors has been a difficulty alongside the Westbank for years, Ourso replied.

“You are concerned about Plaquemine, however the identical visitors goes by means of Addis and Brusly at 4 a.m., and we settle for the visitors that goes again,” he stated. “If you see all these small cities with no visitors, which means no financial system.

“If we now have no visitors, we’d have a lifeless neighborhood,” he stated. “Have you ever been by means of Mangham? Drive up and see.”

The petrochemical business has been a catalyst for financial progress not just for Iberville, however for your complete state, Ourso stated.

“It’s time for the state to present again” he stated. “Over time (as Parish President), I’ve been by means of 4 governors – Foster, Blanco, Jindal and Edwards – and all have delivered industrial initiatives to the parish.”

The legislature permitted $300 million within the 2023 price range to assist advance the bridge mission. The steadiness of development funding has but to be recognized.

Toll income estimates might be additional developed to find out how a lot tolling could possibly be used to offset the bridge prices.

Prior to now 10 or 15 years, Iberville has been among the many prime 5 for industrial progress throughout the state.

“The Division of Financial Growth delivers these they need me to hug, nourish, rock and make it occur … we received taxes in return and now we’ve received an opportunity for a bridge.

“We welcome everybody to work in our parish – they arrive from parishes all around the area to work right here – so now it’s time for the state to present again,” Ourso stated. “It’s about time.”