Please support HB 761, which is set to be heard in the House Transportation Committee next Tuesday, April 5. The bill prioritizes current funding for the Calcasieu River Bridge on I-10.

Truckers, transportation industry members and citizens are adamantly opposed to tolling the bridge. We implore you to support this bill because it lays out a practical plan for funding the Calcasieu River Bridge without putting the burden of tolls on citizens or the transportation industry.

Tolling is inefficient and ineffective and often results in taxpayers paying more for extended periods of time. Often tolls have to be increased because targeted calculations are underestimated. Tolls through private-public partnerships are also often more expensive to the taxpayer costing 20% more. They can also present privacy issues when collected with an electronic device. 

We also firmly believe that tolling this corridor of I-10 - which is vital for commerce out of the Port of Lake Charles and the connection of the supply chain throughout Texas, south Louisiana, and the entirety of the Gulf Coast - sets a poor precedence nationally. 

For these reasons, we ask that you please support HB 761.