St. Tammany Parish’s Republican Party has come out against plans to raise tolls and make $103 million in safety improvements on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The Republican Executive Committee said it will ask the Parish Council to deny approval of a bond issue needed for the project.
St. Tammany Council to consider Causeway controversy next week
A week from Thursday, the St. Tammany Council could vote on whether or not to support a safety project on the Causeway, which would require higher tolls and debt.
Commuters react to Causeway toll increases
Causeway commuters are preparing to foot the bill as tolls are set to be raised from $3 to $5 for those paying cash to cross the bridge.
St. Tammany council wants to halt diversion of Causeway funds
During the recent debate over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway’s proposed toll increase, citizens have questioned and criticized the use of about $2 million in annual Causeway revenue to police the Huey P. Long Bridge and for parishes in the New Orleans area. The St. Tammany Parish Council on Thursday (Sept. 1) adopted a resolution calling on the parish’s legislative delegation to introduce legislation requiring that all Causeway funds be used exclusively for maintaining, operating and improving the bridge.
Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts would like to see Causeway toll increases put to popular vote
Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts has asked the parish administration to look into what steps would be necessary to have the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway toll increases approved earlier this month by the Causeway Commission put to a vote by Jefferson and St. Tammany Parish residents.
Jeff Parish councilman wants public vote on Causeway tolls
Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts wants a referendum to decide whether the Causeway Commission may raise tolls on the 24-mile bridges over Lake Pontchartrain. Roberts tells WDSU television he’ll ask the Parish Council to discuss the increase.
Debate over Lake Pontchartrain Causeway tolls increase reflects past, looks to future
The first span of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was completed in 1956, when cars sported fins and the postwar suburban explosion was still years away from the north shore. The Causeway and the parishes it connects have changed dramatically since then, but two things from the original span remain: the concrete used to build it and the debt incurred to pay for it.
Intrepid bicyclist nabbed on the Causeway
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway police had more than stormy weather and heavy traffic to deal with Friday afternoon (Aug. 12). At about 3:30 p.m., a man on a bicycle cruised onto the northbound span and made it about a mile before police heard about the stunt and caught up with him.