
Motorists who use the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway should expect to see higher tolls soon, General Manager Carlton Dufrechou told WWL this week.
He joined Newell Normand to explain why the tolls are going to increase.
“When we did the… safety improvements, the new shoulders, the 12 new shoulders and new rails on the southbound bridge, it was financed in 2016 in part of that financing agreement with the bonds was that every seven years,” he said.
Now, inflation and other operational costs have kicked in for the bridge, which spans 24 miles over Lake Pontchartrain.
“I’m afraid we're going to be looking at somewhere around a 20% increase in the basic toll,” Dufrechou said. Per the Causeway website, toll tag fares range from $3 to $22.50.
Dufrechou explained that the bridge is now nearly 67 years old, and the northbound bridge is 54 years old.
“The reason it’s still operating so well is that... on an annual basis this year, we’ve got $8 million... budgeted for ongoing maintenance and the bridge is inspected every year,” he said.
Learn more about the bridge and why tolls are needed to keep it operating safely by listening to Normand and Dufrechou’s conversation here.