New Mississippi River Bridge expected to open in 2033

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The earliest a highly anticipated new Mississippi River bridge could be constructed and open for traffic is now 2033, two years later than the original estimate suggested by agencies leading the project.

At a meeting Monday of the Capital Area Road and Bridge District, city and state officials attempted to put in simple terms what work has been done on the long-awaited, multibillion-dollar bridge project, which is expected to ease traffic in Baton Rouge and the West Mississippi River bank, as well as deliver an economic boost to Plaquemine and Iberville Parish.

If constructed, the bridge would become the third place to cross the Mississippi in Baton Rouge, in addition to the Horace Wilkinson Bridge and the Huey P. Long Bridge.

Over the past year, DOTD employees said at the meeting, they have drilled and tested the soil for what is called a geotechnical investigation, completed a topographic survey and performed a subsurface utility engineering analysis to reduce the risk of damaging utility infrastructure during construction.

Still, the project has been slow going. The timeline is extended as DOTD discovers additional studies that need to be ordered, such as a hydraulic study of the river, DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallet wrote in an email. These steps are important prior to a formal review under the National Environmental Policy Act, he added.

“By finding these issues in the pre-NEPA process, it helps to ensure the actual NEPA process (one-year time frame) runs smoother and can actually save time in the long run,” Mallet wrote.

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Protest from Iberville residents
Beyond bureaucratic hurdles, the project has also met with resistance from a community in Iberville Parish.

One of three final potential bridge locations, referred to as E-11-IV, would run through Plaquemine Point, which contains the A.E. LeBlanc Natural Area and Old-Growth Cypress Forest. Area landowners have protested DOTD acquiring the land via eminent domain and bisecting the forest.

They allege that DOTD is also neglecting its duty to complete an Environmental Impact Statement, necessitated when significant environmental effects of a project are discovered, and is instead following a less rigorous course called an Environmental Assessment.

“These cypress trees have so much more potential to live out their lives, and they’re already so much older than all of us,” said Laura Comeaux, whose family has led the opposition to E-11-IV. “That’s really one of my family’s prime concerns, but habitat among them, too.”

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