Contact: Bryan Jones, Project Spokesperson
(225) 368-2803
brjones@hntb.com

GOLDEN MEADOW, La. – The new LA 1 Expressway Customer Service Center is now serving customers who want to open a GeauxPass account for the new La 1 toll bridge in Leeville, Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development (DOTD) Secretary William D. Ankner announced on Thursday.

The center, located at 1821 Hwy. 3235 (S. Alex Plaisance) in Golden Meadow, serves drivers of the new LA 1 toll bridge over Bayou Lafourche near Port Fourchon and Grand Isle and the Crescent City Connection bridge in New Orleans.

The new fixed-level bridge over Bayou Lafourche will open on July 7, but toll collection will not begin until July 27, after the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo.

The new La 1 bridge will operate on open road tolling technology, which allows drivers to use the bridge without slowing down or stopping at a toll booth. Tolls are collected electronically by overhead equipment located along the toll expressway.

To pay the toll, drivers can either purchase a GeauxPass, Louisiana’s new toll tag system, and open an account, or they can purchase a single trip pass at the Customer Service Center, one of five kiosks located in the area or by telephone at (866) 662-8987.

DOTD Secretary Ankner said the Customer Service Center will be convenient for residents, businesses and visitors.

"People have already purchased nearly 1,000 GeauxPasses," Ankner said. "We want to make purchasing a GeauxPass or single trip pass as convenient as possible for residents, visitors and businesses."

Customer Service Center office hours are:

MTWF: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Th: 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sat – Sun: Closed

The Customer Service Center will be open on four Saturdays in June and July to serve customers preparing for the launch of toll collections. The office will be open June 27, July 11 and July 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on July 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The new LA 1 toll bridge at Leeville is the first phase of the LA 1 Expressway, which ultimately will consist of 19 miles of new elevated roadway from Golden Meadow to the Gulf of Mexico. The elevated highway from Leeville to the Gulf is now under construction and should be completed in late 2011. Pre-construction work is proceeding on the expressway from Golden Meadow to Leeville, but that portion of the project has no construction funds.

All proceeds from the tolls will go toward retiring approximately $166 million of debt that was incurred to build the bridge.

The LA 1 Expressway, designated by Congress as a "high-priority corridor" for its role as critical energy infrastructure, is the only land access to Port Fourchon, which services 18 percent of the nation's daily crude oil needs. The highway is also the only evacuation route for up to 35,000 people, including 6,000 offshore workers and residents of Grand Isle. A critical transportation route, LA 1 provides access to more than 1,200 trucks per day that travel in and out of Port Fourchon.

For more information about the Customer Service Center, GeauxPass or the new LA 1 Expressway, call (866) 662-8987, visit www.geauxpass.com or e-mail customerservice@geauxpass.com.