House Bill 1081, authored by state Rep. John Schroder, R-Covington, unanimously passed the House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Work last week. As of Tuesday morning it was pending the House final floor approval before being sent to the Senate for debate.
Schroder authored the bill, he said, while still stung from shock when news leaked that Causeway officials and Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group, an international engineering and design firm, had secretly met to discuss a deal for the 24-mile span linking Metairie and Mandeville.
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He said he authored the bill to “give the state oversight,” but “that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be sold.” It only means state lawmakers must first be notified and then grant approval for sale for a bridge longer than five miles long, he said.
“What if someone came along and offered a billion dollars” for the Causeway, he asked. Government would stand to make a lot of money, and officials should at least listen to the offer, he said. News of the sale emerged in March, with rumors suggesting higher toll fees for motorists if the Causeway was sold.
Local parish governments also stood to make buckets of money: St. Tammany Parish about $89 million and Jefferson Parish up to $55 million, Schroeder said he heard of preliminary numbers.
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