We will not stop until a new bridge is built

Do you know what happens when a state doesn’t address its infrastructure needs for decades? They get worse, multiply, and form a crisis that is far too expensive for the state to solve. However, I was elected because I don’t sit around and kick the can down the dilapidated road. My constituents want problems solved … now.

We passed in the House a toll authority because we had explored all means of financing and had no choice of federal or state funding. Therefore, a toll was a last-resort funding option.

But, two weeks ago, President Trump gave us another option when he visited Southwest Louisiana. With the work that the Interstate 10 Bridge Task Force has done and our congressional delegation, the president was made aware of the need for a new bridge. We now have the option of possibly receiving some federal money.

Therefore, we, meaning the entire Southwest Louisiana delegation, decided to defer the Tolling Authority and go with a resolution that directs the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to work with the I-10 Bridge Task Force. This task force will continue the momentum it has started, and the Southwest Louisiana delegation will continue to push LaDOTD in planning and constructing a new bridge with a Public/ Private Partnership. Nothing will stop, and if we need a tolling authority for the future we can form one under existing law, but we will not stop until a new bridge is built.

This gives the task force, who has all the knowledge of this bridge design, the ability to move forward just like a tolling authority would. The concurrent resolution just transfers the powers of the tolling authority to the I-10 Bridge Task Force. If we see after the planning and Request for Proposal stage that a toll is still necessary to partially fill our funding needs then we can create a Tolling Authority.

The bottom line is that we now have the attention of federal and state officials, the ear of President Trump, and better positioning to complete a new I-10 bridge. This will benefit not just the citizens of Calcasieu but the companies that fuel our state and nation’s economy.

The entire Southwest Louisiana delegation are co-authors of this resolution and committed to this project. I am determined to solve the problems that have plagued our state for decades, otherwise our children and grandchildren will have to pay the price. That is unacceptable.