House Committee Passes Bill To Rename Bridge After Teen Killed In Accident

A bridge east of Baton Rouge may get a new name before long.

A state House committee voted Tuesday in favor of a bill to change the name of the Magnolia Bridge to the Caleb Easterling Memorial Bridge.

State Rep. Lauren Ventrella, a Republican from Greenwell Springs, presented the bill.

Easterling was 19 years old when he was killed in a 2023 crash on the bridge, which takes State Highway 64 over the Amite River.

Easterling's car was hit head-on by a Baton Rouge man in a pickup truck as they crossed the bridge.