Dept. of Transportation and Development Announces Bid Results for Statewide Projects; major interstate improvement included
Friday, April 24, 2020 at 11:43:32 AM
Dept. of Transportation and Development Announces Bid Results for Statewide Projects; major interstate improvement included

BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced today that four projects around the state were let on April 22, 2020, most notably a long-awaited interstate widening project along a major freight corridor. Four contractors presented apparent low bids totaling $153.4 million; included was the $152 million widening of over ten miles of I-10 east of the Texas state line.

“Louisiana’s infrastructure has always been an important aspect of my administration and this announcement is another example of how joint collaboration can make these projects move forward,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “The widening of our interstate system is vital to creating a thriving economy for our residents and businesses, which can be seen through the multiple interstate widening projects throughout the state. Our infrastructure is better than it was four years ago, and with innovative thinking we can continue maintaining the current transportation system we have and building much needed new structures to alleviate congestion in high traffic corridors.”

“This is another small letting for the month of April, but it features a major project that will create a much-needed increase to interstate capacity,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D. “We’re pleased to get the widening of I-10 at the Texas border underway. This improvement is not only for our state’s citizens and travelers passing through, but also for the transport industry hauling freight along this vital national corridor.”

The area of I-10 to be widened sees over 65,000 vehicles per day. It is part of the National Highway Freight Network, and over 1.6 million tons of freight are carried along the corridor each year.

“Despite this landmark interstate improvement, Louisiana is still facing major challenges with funding for its transportation system,” continues Wilson. “We’re dealing with a fuel tax that hasn’t increased in 30 years, and now motorists are traveling less as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which means fewer dollars going into the Transportation Trust Fund. Motorists will eventually resume their normal travel after the pandemic, but we must continue seeking innovative ways of funding our infrastructure beyond the fuel tax.”

All projects and their apparent low bids from the April 22 letting are as follows:

Congestion Mitigation and Safety:
  • Widening of I-10 from four to six lanes between Texas state line and east of LA 108 in Calcasieu Parish: $152,221,212.63
  • Replacement of pavement markers on I-10 between Williams Boulevard and I-610 in Jefferson Parish: $196,546.75
  • Replacement of pavement markers on I-49 between Natchitoches Parish line and exit 94 in Rapides Parish: $470,432.00
Bridge Replacement and Repair:
  • Replacement of Leo Morrow Road Bridge in Avoyelles Parish: $489,168.50
“This project is one of the highest value projects delivered by in-house staff. I would like to thank our road and bridge design team for their continued efforts in delivering this project. It takes a tremendous amount of time and dedication to design and deliver a project of this magnitude from start to finish. It is because of the commitment of DOTD employees that we are able to deliver high valued projects such as this,” said Wilson.

Construction projects are prioritized by road/bridge condition, urgency of improvements, type/volume of traffic, crash records, unforeseeable emergencies that caused damage, and several other factors.

For more information about these projects, please visit www.dotd.la.gov.