Work to Begin Later This Month to Replace Hwy 1 Bridge Over Caddo Lake

For eighty one years, the Highway 1 bridge over Caddo Lake has accommodated an average of forty eight hundred north and south bound vehicles each day in Caddo Parish, but the old girl just ain’t what she used to be and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has announced their plans to replace the bridge near Mooringsport.

Work is slated to begin by the end of this month on the $18.2 million project which will involve clearing and grubbing, utility relocation, asphalt concrete pavement, construction of a new bridge, and removal of the old structure.

The work scheduled for this month will essentially be the removal of trees and other growth to allow for utility relocation. AEP SWEPCO will then have up to three hundred days to remove their utilities that are currently in the project limits. Construction on the new bridge project itself cannot begin until these electrical utilities have been relocated.

Once utility relocation is complete, work will begin on the construction of the new structure, which will be built adjacent to the existing bridge on a slightly adjusted alignment. The old bridge will then be removed.

To reduce the inconvenience to the traveling public, the existing LA 1 bridge will be kept open to at least one direction of travel for as much of the project as possible. However, there will be times during construction that will require a full closure of the bridge.

Project updates and other notifications will be sent via MyDOTD as the project progresses.

The entire project is anticipated to be complete in Summer 2024, with progress dependent on weather conditions.

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