Projects

LA 1 Phase 1 was completed between 2006 and 2011. The LA 1 Expressway is an elevated eleven-mile highway and the sole land route from Leeville to Port Fourchon. The bridge is an all-electronic toll road utilizing the GeauxPass tag system and Toll-By-Plate option. 

Construction is underway with LA 1 Phase 2 to expand the elevated highway an additional eight miles from Golden Meadow. LA 1 Phase 2 will replace the existing low-lying roadway, often overtopped and damaged during storm events. This expansion will provide a more convenient evacuation route during hurricane and flooding events, a more reliable shipping route, and increased accessibility opportunities for tourism. This project is expected to be completed in 2027 and will be transferred to Lafourche Parish. 

2026 

click on photo to enlarge - updated February 2026

2006–⁠2011

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The replacement Belle Chasse Bridge on the West Bank of New Orleans is in Plaquemines Parish. The new Belle Chasse Bridge replaces the moveable Belle Chasse Bridge and Belle Chasse Tunnel which are both over 50 years old. The new bridge is an all-electronic toll road that utilizes the existing GeauxPass tag system and Toll-By-Plate option. At its highest point, this bridge is 73’, so boats will travel underneath without the need to lift. Therefore, travelers won’t experience delays to accommodate marine traffic. 

Belle Chasse Bridge

DOTD Innovative Procurement

By order of Governor Landry,

tolling on the Belle Chasse Bridge has been suspended

as of 4:41 pm on Thursday, October 2, 2025.

click on photo to enlarge - updated February 2026

The I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge Project will connect the cities of Lake Charles and Westlake. The project length is approximately 9 miles and will replace the current bridge and parts of the interstate, ramps, service roads, and utilities to make the travel corridor more efficient to navigate. The existing bridge was built in the early 1950s and predates the interstate system. It is narrow, lacks shoulders, and has steep approach grades. The average daily number of vehicles, approximately 90,000, traveling the Calcasieu River Bridge section of I-10 exceeds the design capacity of 37,000 vehicles per day. Once completed (expected by 2031), the old bridge will be removed. The new bridge will utilize the existing GeauxPass toll system. 

Key features:

• Six travel lanes and two auxiliary lanes for improved safety and traffic flow  

• Roadway lighting and a reduction in bridge height  

• Elevated overpass at Sampson Street to eliminate train-related delays  

• Multimodal connectivity enhancements to support future transportation needs  

Calcasieu River Bridge

DOTD Innovative Procurement

Project Videos

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The LA 1 to LA 30 Connector project was created to provide new access across the Mississippi River and to provide increased capacity and new connectivity between LA 1 and LA 30. The vision for this project is to provide additional redundancy in the Greater Baton Rouge Area cross-river transportation network and to locate the new facility such that it maximizes daily usage. 

Part I: Enhanced Planning (2020-2022). This portion of the project gathered relevant project information to identify feasible alternatives and to inform the process. This included developing traffic and toll models and identifying locations at which the river can be crossed. Additionally, stakeholder engagement and public meetings were utilized to share information and gather feedback.

Part II: Environment Evaluation (2025-2026). Findings from Part I will heavily inform the environmental evaluation portion of this project, which will produce an environmental document for federal review and approval. This will include a traffic and toll analysis and further stakeholder engagement and public meetings as a final preferred alternative is selected for the bridge’s location.

Timing for construction completion of this project is heavily dependent upon funding availability and construction contracting type. Those variables will not be known until near the completion of the environmental evaluation process at the earliest.  However, assuming funding is available and that this project is a good candidate for an alternative delivery type of construction contract (e.g. design-build), the soonest that a new bridge across the Mississippi River could be completed and open to traffic is estimated to be 2033.

It is important to note that federal funding eligibility requirements mandate completion of the environmental evaluation process prior to moving into the design and construction stages.

MRB South

Public Meetings