Campaign wants voter support for brand new bridge over the Mississippi River

BATON ROUGE - A new commercial is hitting the airwaves in an attempt to convince residents in the capital region to support building another bridge across the Mississippi River.

The New Bridge PAC is spearheaded by West Baton Rouge Senator Rick Ward.

"We passed legislation to allow the capital region parishes to build a new bridge over the Mississippi River," Ward says in the campaign.

If the bill passes, it'll ask voters in seven parishes to pay for a new bridge to be built in a centrally-located place, like Iberville Parish.

"To me, it just makes perfectly good sense that next bridge crossing be in Iberville Parish," Hank Grace said.

Grace is the Executive of the Iberville Chamber of Commerce in Plaquemine, where the ferry landed is located. Since the closure of the Sunshine Bridge, the boats have been packed. Many drivers tell WBRZ the traffic congestion has been so bad lately, they'd happily pay for a new crossing.

The New Bridge PAC will ask voters to fund the project with a tax increase, private funding, tolls, or all three. If approved, it'll take millions of dollars, as well of years of construction, before it's complete.

The aim is to have a measure on the ballot for the new bridge in the spring of 2019.