Two Interstate 12 construction projects in Livingston Parish will begin within the next three months, State Representative Roger Wilder announced on Facebook.
The first project will replace the eastbound and westbound Hog Branch bridges, located three miles east of the Livingston exit at Exit 22. Wilder said these are the last bridges in the parish that must be widened to allow the full three-lane expansion of I-12 from Satsuma to the Tangipahoa Parish line. The bridge replacements are fully funded at a cost of $40 million, with completion estimated for the fourth quarter of 2028.
Wilder credited State Representative Shane Mack, whose House district includes part of the project, saying the two had advocated for the I-12 widening with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for nearly three years.
The second project is a median barrier wall retrofit along I-12, running from the west side of the Amite River to Highway 447 at the Walker exit. Wilder said the existing median wall worsened the severity of the 2016 flood by holding back water on the north side of the interstate. The retrofit will remove sections at the base of the wall to allow water to flow through. The project is fully funded and also has an estimated completion date of the fourth quarter of 2028.
Wilder said the projects reflect years of collaboration among the Livingston Parish delegation, local officials, and DOTD.
"When I was elected, one of the top mandates from our residents was to bring resources back home to improve our infrastructure," Wilder said. "We are doing just that. We are moving Livingston forward."
