PORT ALLEN, La. (The West Side Journal) – The planned replacement of the LA-1 bridge over the Intracoastal Canal is expected to begin later this year, according to Parish President Riley “PeeWee” Berthelot. The upgrade is expected to cost between $50 million and $70 million and will more than double the size and traffic capacity of the existing bridge.
The bridge construction contract will go for bidding on March 10. The parish is currently in the process of removing utility infrastructure in the proposed construction area. According to Berthelot, construction should begin by the second or third quarter of 2021.
The bridge currently has two fourteen-foot lanes with no shoulder going in either direction. The new bridge will have three twelve-foot lanes with ten-foot shoulders going in both directions. The project is expected to employ around 1,400 workers.
Construction is scheduled to happen in phases to reduce the impact on traffic. The first phase will build one section of the new bridge, which will be divided into a four-lane highway. The second phase will tear down the current structure, and the third and final phase will construct the other half of the bridge.
