Despite strong opposition from truckers, the House and Senate Transportation committees approved Governor Jeff Landry’s plan to use a combination of federal and state dollars, plus tolls, to build a new I-10 bridge in Lake Charles. Director for the Louisiana Motor Transport Association, Renee Amar, says truckers look at tolls as an additional tax.
“It would be as if every time a police officer or fireman showed up to your house, you had to pay them an extra fee for the services you are already paying for. that’s what toll is,” said Amar.
The CEO of Frisard’s Trucking Company, Cully Frisard, says it will cost his trucks $8.25 every time they cross that bridge under the proposal laid out by the Landry administration.
“That cost will be passed on to my customer, which then will be passed on to your constitutes, because I deliver the shoes you wear, the food you eat, the products you buy at the store,” said Frisard.
Local residents would pay 25-cents to cross the proposed bridge, for non-local automobiles and medium sized trucks it would be around three-dollars.
Lake Charles Senator Mark Abraham knows tolls are unpopular, but necessary because there are not enough federal and state dollars available.
“So we couldn’t get federal money, couldn’t get all of the state money, because we all have projects represented in our area and they don’t want to just put all of the money in Lake Charles, and I get that, so we hit just a solid dead on funding,” said Abraham.
The State Bond Commission still has to give its approval. DOTD Secretary Joe Donahue says if the project gets the green light, the bridge will take seven years to build and during that time the Landry Administration will look for additional funding to lower the cost of the tolls.
“You will have my commitment that is a priority between now and the start of that tolling that we accommodate the concerns of the local truckers in some way shape or form,” said Donahue.
The price tag for the new bridge is 2.1 billion dollars. DOTD says the state has secured 225 million in federal dollars and has 975-million dollars in state money set aside for the massive project.
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