Calcasieu Bridge Partners, comprising Madrid-based Sacyr, Acciona and Plenary Americas, will design, build, operate and maintain the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge for 50 years. The 9km-long section of the I-10 in which the bridge stand connects the towns of Lake Charles and Westlake. Work will include replacement of the existing bridge which is more than 70 years old.
The project has both public and private funding with the state of Louisiana contributing almost $1.2 billion during construction to be paid in line with construction milestones being completed during the work.
Construction is expected to start later this year for completion in 2031. The road section is expected to accommodate an average daily traffic volume of 90,000 vehicles by 2040.
The I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge project is the largest in the history of the state’s department of transportation and development and was one of the largest infrastructure contracts commissioned in North America in 2023.
The project corridor includes the Calcasieu River Bridge that connects the cities of Lake Charles and Westlake. The project length is around 9.6km and includes interstate roadways, bridge approaches, I-10 frontage roads and several interchanges that connect the interstate to state and local roads. Meanwhile, I-10 widening includes construction of a corridor with six lanes and implementation of free-flow tolling, together with various structures, ramps and approaches to the new elevated structure.
The existing 2km-long 16m-wide Calcasieu River Bridge was officially called the Louisiana Memorial World War II Bridge when it was opened in 1951. It has decorative iron work with crossed guns integrated into the railings. The I-10 Bridge was originally built as the U.S. Highway 90 bridge and later was grandfathered into Interstate 10. The structure is an arched cantilever, rivet-connected Warren through truss for the main span. The longest span is 128.3m and the bridge at its highest point in the arch has a 41m vertical clearance of the river.
For an short aerial video of the existing bridge, click here, for the official I-10 Calcasieu Mobility Partners website.
