Louisiana Gets a Major New Bridge

It’s Infrastructure Week, a perfect time to celebrate not only the introduction of the infrastructure bill in the House but the many major infrastructure projects underway across the U.S. Thanks to manufacturers’ advocacy for comprehensive infrastructure and permitting reform, the U.S. could have many more such revolutionary projects in the coming years.

Calcasieu River Bridge: A few weeks ago, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry presided over the groundbreaking of the replacement for the Calcasieu River Bridge, which is a venerable 75 years old (The Advocate, subscription).

• With $2.3 billion in public–private funding, the bridge project will build a new structure that can keep up with its average daily traffic count of 90,000 vehicles—up from 30,000 when it was built in 1952.
• The new bridge is set to open for drivers in 2030.

The word from the House: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said in a video message played at the event, “As you know, southwest Louisiana accounts for much of our nation’s [liquefied natural gas] exports, and we certainly need key infrastructure to support American energy dominance and national security. This bridge will drastically improve safety for the over 90,000 daily drivers and support the region’s rapid economic growth we’re all so excited for.”

The NAM says: “The I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge Replacement Project marks a vital step forward to strengthening one of America’s most critical infrastructure corridors,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons on social media about the groundbreaking.

• “Manufacturers are #BuildingToWin, and we thank federal, state and local leaders for their incredible efforts to bolster America’s infrastructure.”

On video: Check out the NAM’s Transportation Tuesday video on the bridge here.