Posted on 09/28/2018 11:10:47 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
While there’s been much discussion about the pending plan to widen Interstate 10 through Baton Rouge, the $360 million earmarked for the project is not expected to cover all four phases of the work.
Following a speech to the Baton Rouge Rotary Club today, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson said state officials are confident the first two phases of the project—first widening and replacing the aging elevated portions of the highway from the I-10/I-110 merge to the City Park Lakes, then replacing the bridges over the lakes—can be completed within four years using federal Grant Anticipation Revenue, or GARVEE bonds.
But the money may not be enough to fund the third phase—which would extend from the east shore of the lakes to College Drive—or the fourth, a flyover ramp that would tie in to College Drive from the I-10/I-12 split.
“We’re talking about being at that point (phase three) some four years down the road and we don’t know what construction costs are going to be by then, or what cost estimates will be for steel, concrete, those kinds of things,” Wilson says. “Let’s say that third phase is going to cost me $150 million and we only have $100 million left? Then we can’t start on it.”
Alternately, Wilson says contractors might be able to do the fourth phase of the project, before the third, if they have enough money to do so.
“There’s flexibility in how we can do this,” he says.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessreport.com ...
It’ll be $3.6 billion before the crying’s over.
Billions and billions . . .
But seriously, folks, it will probably be about double or so when it’s all through.
Years ago we had,here in Boston,a highway project called "The Central Artery Project".When proposed by Rat politicians and their union thug pals it was projected to be about a billion dollars (IIRC).It turns out that it was at least 5 times that.
And in connection with it Congressman Barney Fag (also known as Barney Frank) made the one and only statement he ever made that I agree with.When commenting on the cost and the complexity of the project he said "it would be cheaper to raise the city than to lower the highway". It turns out he was right.
Amazing that the banking queen was ever right about anything.
I-10 eastbound through BR LA is a nightmare. It narrows down to 1 lane. Built that way.
You are correct, and I-10 eastbound that way runs through the Atchafalaya basin about 50 miles between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, not quite 1 lane but there is a bottleneck just on the other side of the MS River just pass the Bridge there near downtown Baton Rouge which is where all their State Government buildings are.
What happened to the Bypass plans from Zachary?
Projected to cost $2B, IIRC. Instead, it cost $15B. The total expense will be $22B once the bonds are paid off.
I didn’t know Zachry Infrastructure was planning a bypass of Baton Rouge. IIRC, there has been talk of a tolled loop around the city, however.
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