VANCOUVER, B.C. — Plenary Americas and its Calcasieu Bridge Partners (CBP) consortium have announced they have reached financial close on the $2.3-billion Interstate 10 Calcasieu River Bridge project which will connect the towns of Lake Charles and Westlake in Louisiana.
The current I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge is more than 70 years old and predates the interstate system, stated a release. The new bridge will be less steep, have additional lanes, full shoulders and roadway lighting.
The project includes design and construction of a new eight-lane bridge over the Calcasieu River with three travel lanes and one auxiliary lane in each direction; modification and relocation of existing roadways and interchanges; and demolition and removal of the existing Calcasieu River Bridge once traffic is transferred to the new bridge.
Other elements include operations and maintenance of the new bridge and associated roadway for 50 years; roadside and back-office systems for toll revenue collection that are interoperable with existing Louisiana tolling systems; and tolling operations, including a customer service center.
The project will be financed through both public and private sources. The State of Louisiana will contribute $1.2 billion during construction while long-term financing includes $1.33 billion in tax-exempt Private Activity Bonds.
Private capital will be repaid over the concession with toll revenues.
CBP will now begin the design-build phase of the project, with construction expected to begin in 2026 and be completed in 2031.
Members of the CBP team include lead developer and equity member Plenary Americas, equity members ACCIONA and Sacyr, design-build joint venture partners ACCIONA and Sacyr, tolling operator Kapsch, and Plenary Americas, ACCIONA and Sacyr responsible for operations and maintenance.
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