The Calcasieu River Bridge, or the Pistol bridge officially named the Louisiana Memorial World War II Bridge in June 1951 is an arched cantilever, rivet-connected Warren through truss (main span) located on
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...
between
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...
, and
Westlake, Louisiana
Westlake is an industrial city in Calcasieu Parish, in western Louisiana, United States, and is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area. The population was 4,781 in 2020. Westlake was incorporated in 1945. There are many chemical ...
. It was the only major bridge in Lake Charles, until the construction of the Lake Charles Loop with the
I-210 Calcasieu River High Bridge began in 1962, with an average annual daily traffic (2009) of 51,800. The bridge has a vertical clearance of 135 feet (41 m). It was built under the administration of Gov. Earl K. Long and opened in 1952. It has decorative iron work with crossed guns integrated into the railings. The I-10 Bridge was originally built as the U.S. Hwy 90 bridge and later was grandfathered into Interstate 10.
The bridge has been rated structurally deficient by the
Department of Transportation but was declared safe by the
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is a Federated state, state government organization in the United States, in charge of maintaining public transportation, roadways, bridges, canals, select levees, floodplain mana ...
(DOTD). There are plans to replace the bridge and improve the Westlake exit.
History
Construction began in 1948
, as part of
U.S. Route 90 in Louisiana, and was completed in 1952. The bridge was built before the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...
, and included pedestrian walkways that are forbidden on interstate highways, so the bridge is also rated as ''functionally obsolete''. Before the bridge was built, U.S. 90 traffic crossed the
Calcasieu River
The Calcasieu River ( ; ) is a river on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southwestern Louisiana. Approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed J ...
over a draw bridge located by the
Port of Lake Charles on Shell Beach Drive, which runs around the south side of the lake. The remnants of the old bridge can still be seen at the end of Shell Beach Drive by the Port.
Condition
The I-10 bridge has been listed by the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) as
Structurally Deficient with a rating of 3 and a Sufficiency Rating of 9.9 out of 100. Louisiana has 13,361 bridges with 1,722 (12.89%) listed as SD. It was reported in March 2017 that the sufficiency rating has dropped to 6.6 out of 100
The
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
(FHWA) and the
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is a Federated state, state government organization in the United States, in charge of maintaining public transportation, roadways, bridges, canals, select levees, floodplain mana ...
(LA DOTD) initiated a proposed project to replace the bridge in 1999. A feasibility study for the project was completed in 2002 with a projected cost of $450 million.
Rating
As an indication of the bridge rating, a zero means that a bridge is closed. The rating of 1 is not used. The rating for the Calcasieu River Bridge has dropped significantly from 1992 to 2010. The 1992 report listed the deck condition as poor (4 out of 9), the superstructure condition as fair, with a 5 out of 9, an evaluation of structurally deficient, and a sufficiency rating of 40.9. In 2010, the deck condition was 4 out of 9 (the same), the superstructure condition was rated as serious (3 out of 9), the substructure condition was rated as serious (3 out of 9), and a sufficiency rating of 9.9 was assigned. These ratings evidence is a drastic drop in all but one area. The majority of heavy traffic SD bridges have a sufficiency rating of 50 or better. The
I-35W Mississippi River bridge
The I-35W Mississippi River bridge (officially known as Bridge 9340) was an eight-lane, steel truss arch bridge that carried Interstate 35W across the Mississippi River one-half mile (875 m) downstream from the Saint Anthony Falls in Minneap ...
had a sufficiency rating of 50 in 2005, was listed again as "structurally deficient" and in possible need of replacement, and had ongoing repairs to include overlay, lighting, and guardrails, before falling in August 2007. A contributing factor has been attributed to the extra weight caused by the construction.
Because of the severe substandard rating, the speed limit has been dropped to 50 mph and heavy trucks have been limited to the right lane on the bridge. This actually causes truck traffic to have to contend with merging ramp traffic from both ways, but particularly the east-bound ramp that merges at the foot of the bridge, creating a bottleneck. With the extreme height of the bridge, trucks speeds drop considerably to as low as 20 mph, creating a steady bumper to bumper congested traffic flow across the entire bridge at times, adding a substantial amount of weight on the bridge.
Traffic congestion
There are several causes of
traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, resulting in m ...
on the bridge including; a bottle neck caused from three lanes of traffic dropping to two in the busy corridor, an estimated traffic of 55,000 vehicles a day, sharp curves on the east side of the bridge in Lake Charles with reduced speed limits, a narrow bridge. The bridge is listed as currently being 6,617 feet (1 1/4 mile) length with a finished grade of 152.10" elevation. The east grade is 3.8% (listed in 1982 as 3.78% both ways) and the west grade is 3.8% and 5% 600' from the crest. There are no shoulders, no turn-around in case of accidents, and an exposed elevated walk-way on either side that also contributes to the bridge being obsolete.
Repairs
In June 2011, the Louisiana DOTD began a $5.7 million repair project (State Proj. No.: H.006783) on the bridge. Safety and structural repairs included replacing 48 girder pins, and the work was finished by December 22, 2012. Hangers were used for worker safety and precautions were taken to comply with environmental regulations. The existing girder pins were 4-in. (10.2 cm) and were replaced using 4.5-in. (11.4 cm) pins. To facilitate the larger pins, special custom-built drills were used. New 0.875-in. (2.2 cm) A325 structural bolts were used in the pin plate connections. Patrick Bernier, project manager for Topcor Services, LLC, general contractor for the project stated, "The bridge is safe, but it is too narrow according to modern highway standards
. . . And it is too steep on its approaches.”.
Designer N.E. Lant used 5,286 pairs of crossed decorative cast iron pistols placed on the bridge railing, reportedly in homage to pirate history and legends of
Jean LaFitte
Jean Lafitte ( – ) was a French pirate, privateer, and slave trader who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time u ...
, being the name he preferred, and 50 to 60 pairs have been damaged or determined to be missing. As part of the project, these will be replaced, along with damaged parts of the guard rails. The original castings were done by John Lester Boone Foundry Works of Lawtell, Louisiana. Missing/stolen pistols were recast by an Alabama foundry in the late 1980s and again in the 2000s during major overhauls of the bridge. A state official in Scott, Louisiana stated in 1992 to a Boone descendant that so many people would walk up the thin sidewalks of the bridge at night to chip out and take home the crossed pistols as mantel pieces, that the ornaments had to be replaced to prevent the handrails from collapsing.
Replacement of the bridge
In 2022, the Calcasieu River Bridge turned 70 years old. With over 600,000 bridges, the average bridge age in the United States is 42 years old, with one in nine rated as deficient. Louisiana has a total of 13,050 bridges, and 1,827 (14%) are considered deficient. 1,963 bridges (15%) are considered functionally obsolete.
It had been decided the bridge needed replacing since before 2002. There are several areas of concern including the age of the bridge, the low bridge ratings, steep grades, traffic congestion, amount of traffic that has been estimated at around 55,000 vehicles a day, low vertical traffic clearance, and contamination. These contributing factors rank the bridge as "a dangerous bridge" and 7th in the nation in need of replacing. In 2023, a plan was vetoed on the replacement bridge due to tolls being proposed. This made the project on hold until 2024 when a plan was approved that would include
tolls, with especially high prices for
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...
s.
Bridge concepts
Four different concepts are being considered for a new bridge.
*Concept A: Would be a new eight lane bridge including an auxiliary lane in both directions. The center of the bridge would be 170 feet north of the center of the current bridge and would require the existing bridge to be removed. The frontage roads would merge onto the bridge and be one-way.
*Concept B: Would be a new six lane bridge with two lane service roads on each side built on the outside or the same structure. This concept includes removing the existing bridge and would be for two-way traffic on the frontage roads.
*Concept C: Would be a new six lane bridge similar to concept B but with the frontage roads on separate structures. This would also require the removal of the existing bridge. This concept would be more invasive to the environment requiring three bridges to be built and would be for two-way frontage roads.
*Concept D: This would be a new six lane bridge with the existing bridge to be rehabilitated and used for the frontage roads. This is the only concept that would require the existing bridge to remain and has some preference because the old bridge has historical significance and is a candidate for historical classification. This design would be for one-way frontage roads. A disadvantage to this concept would be invasion on the beach property and is considered one decision on a particular bridge (considered in 2002) has still not been determined and this has been pushed off until 2016. The preliminary report, subject to change and updating, shows that all the concepts and alternates have common features, calling for steel box girders for the main spans, four spans at 200', 270', 270', and 200', u-turn on the east end, improving the I-10 profile at abandoned railroad, modifying the existing ramps on the east end of the bridge for westbound traffic and eastbound exit at I-10 and US 90 (east), center-line alignment 3 (or similar), bridge profile 2, and the Ryan street ramp construction.
Four alternates, that use two of the four bridge concepts, differ depending on if one-way or two-way service roads are chosen. Alternate 1 shows a preference for bridge concept A. Alternate 2 shows a preference for bridge concept C with continuous service roads across the bridge.
All the bridge profiles use models with a 95' finished grade elevation, 57.10' lower than the current bridge, and a vertical clearance of 73' that is 62' lower than the current bridge. All bridge models show a 3% grade on the west side. The east side would be 3% for bridge profile 1, with 2.25% for profile 2, and 1.65% for profile 3.
Conversion to pedestrian bridge
There is a local movement to preserve the existing bridge by converting it to pedestrian use after the replacement bridge is constructed. The group, Save Our Bridge, cites the Bridge's iconic status on the city skyline, cultural relevance in local art, and architectural heritage all as reasons for preservation. Adaptive Reuse of the bridge will also provide a key pedestrian access from the cities of Lake Charles and Westlake while drawing tourists to the area, promoting economic growth and health and wellness for locals.
While the bridge is no longer suitable for interstate traffic, it is possible to convert it to pedestrian use without significant economic investment. The Save Our Bridge effort is promoting the funding of an engineering study to determine the feasibility of preservation and pedestrian use as well as providing a conceptual design.
2024
After a first round of negotiations in November 2023 failed a new plan was drawn up.
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is a Federated state, state government organization in the United States, in charge of maintaining public transportation, roadways, bridges, canals, select levees, floodplain mana ...
Secretary Eric Kalivoda (La DOTD) sent letters to both Patrick McMath of the
Louisiana Senate
The Louisiana State Senate (; ) is the upper house of Louisiana’s legislature. Senators serve four-year terms and participate in various committees.
Composition
The Louisiana State Senate has 39 members elected from single-member districts ...
, and Mark Write to the
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...
, both chairmen of their respective Senate and House Committees on Transportation, Highways, and Public Works. The letters are in accordance with Louisiana Revised Statute 48:250.4(A)(2). The letters (and emails) requesting approval to sign a public-private partnership (P3) contract, with Calcasieu Bridge Partners for the replacement of the Interstate 10 bridge, over the Calcasieu River in Calcasieu Parish. The requests were approved by the Louisiana legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee which was approved for a public-private partnership (P3) to build the bridge. Although resisted at first apparently the public and interested groups agreed to the proposal. The approved contract is for a $2.1B Calcasieu River bridge and supporting roadway from the I-210/I-10 east junction to the I-10/I-210 west. The proposal between the DOTD and Calcasieu Bridge Partners (CBP) was approved and a signed contract to include a bridge and a 5.5-mile toll corridor.
Project construction on the toll road and bridge is scheduled to last seven years and the tolls for 70 years.
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Jeff Landry
Jeffrey Martin Landry ( ; born December 23, 1970) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 57th governor of Louisiana since 2024. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th attorney general of Louisiana from 201 ...
signed on after having the toll reduced. Landry stated the reduced toll he agreed to would remove any state financial liability and offer a reduced toll to area residents of five connecting parishes the toll will be $.25. There is some conflicting reports. 15% of any profits from the tolls would go to either the Lake Charles area or split between the five parishes.
Many wanted to keep the old bridge for historic reasons. The bridge qualifies for NHRP listing but the plans call for the bridge to be torn down when construction is completed.
The amount secured so far:
* $150 million from the DOTD from a federal government discretionary grant for the project,
* Department of Motor Vehicles transfers amounting to $240 million.
* $150 million from the American Rescue Plan Act,
* $85 million backed by the state’s general obligation,
* $75 million from the Federal Highway Priority Program
* $100 million from state general fund.
Project partners, according to I-10 Calcasieu Mobility partners, are CINTRA, a transportation infrastructure company based in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
. and others in a long list of partners.
A notice to proceed on the $2.3 billion dollar super project has been authorized. 15 percent of the net toll revenue profits will be used to shorten the expected 50 year toll or to fund future projects in the five-parish area. State and federal funding will cover $1.2 billion of the project’s overall cost. The remaining costs will be covered through toll revenue.
Bridge details
The new bridge was dubbed "Alternative 5G", or State Project Number: H.003931, that was included in the December 2, 2020, DOTD fact sheet, has been chosen.
Construction partners
Calcasieu Bridge Partners Consortium consist of a joint venture of Plenary Americas US Holdings, Inc., Sacyr Infrastructure USA LLC, and Acciona Concesiones S.L.
Wildlife
Wildlife concerns were studied. There were instances of observation of a pair of
bald eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...
s and
aerie,
American white pelican
The American white pelican (''Pelecanus erythrorhynchos'') is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Costa Rica, in winter.
Taxonomy
The Americ ...
s,
Belted kingfisher
The belted kingfisher (''Megaceryle alcyon'') is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, native to North America.
Taxonomy
The first Species description, formal description of the belted kingfisher was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1 ...
,
Downy woodpecker
The downy woodpecker (''Dryobates pubescens'') is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. Length ranges from . Downy woodpeckers primarily live in forested areas throughout the United States and Canada, with the exception of desert ...
,
Northern flicker
The northern flicker or common flicker (''Colaptes auratus'') is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker specie ...
,
Northern cardinal
The northern cardinal (''Cardinalis cardinalis''), also commonly known as the common cardinal, red cardinal, or simply cardinal, is a bird in the genus ''Cardinalis''. It can be found in southeastern Canada, through the eastern United States fro ...
,
Little brown skink,
Red-eared slider
The red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin (''Trachemys scripta elegans'') is a subspecies of the pond slider (''Trachemys scripta''), a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the Family (biology), family Emydidae. Native to the southern United States ...
,
gray squirrels Gray squirrel or grey squirrel may refer to several species of squirrel indigenous to North America:
*The eastern gray squirrel (''Sciurus carolinensis''), from the eastern United States and southeastern Canada; introduced into the United Kingdom, ...
,
nine-banded armadillo
The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also called the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo native to North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America, making ...
s, and
feral hogs. Although risks are considered low mitigation measures are included
References
External links
Official websiteDash Cam Video: Interstate 10 Calcasieu River BridgeFacebook page for the Save Our Bridge effort
{{coord, 30.2371, -93.2458, type:landmark_region:US-LA, display=title
Buildings and structures in Lake Charles, Louisiana
Interstate 10
Road bridges in Louisiana
Bridges on the Interstate Highway System
Bridges completed in 1952
Metal bridges in the United States
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
Transportation buildings and structures in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
1952 establishments in Louisiana