IBERVILLE PARISH - The Department of Transportation and Development says environmental studies for a new bridge over the Mississippi River Bridge will take more time than originally thought. 

In a Capital Area Road and Bridge District (CARB-D) meeting Monday night, DOTD laid out the progress made so far on plans for a new Mississippi River Bridge. Environmental evaluations began in the fall of 2022, and while they were supposed to wrap up around mid-2024, the deadline has been extended to December of 2024. 

A project spokesperson said the delay was caused by contract negotiations which have been slightly stalled due to the project's complex nature. 

The possible locations of the new bridge were narrowed down from 32 to three over the last two years. All three locations are in Iberville Parish and connect LA 1 with LA 30. 

DOTD says this proposed new bridge will mostly benefit local drivers, which make up 80% of traffic in the Greater Baton Rouge area. In Monday's meeting, they told the CARB-D committee that 63,000 vehicles cross the I-10 bridge every day, with 1/3 of that coming just from LA 1 northbound. 

The state agency also presented a conceptual design of what the bridge could look like if built at locations 13 or 14. 

You can find more information about the proposed bridge here.