The governor’s office announces Louisiana is receiving a billion dollars to repair crumbling bridges The money comes from the recently approved Infrastructure Law. DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson says the federal government allocated the dollars based on need and Louisiana is getting a big slice of the pie.
“We are receiving dollars from much larger than some states that are three or four times our size, so it says a lot about our condition,” said Wilson.
The state owns 78-hundred bridges with nearly 800 of them needing to be replaced or in need of major repair. About another 800 locally owned bridges are also in desperate need of rehab or replacement.
Wilson says the state will spend about 200-million of the one billion this year and they’ve released a list of bridge projects that will see funding this year.
“Those are bridges that we knew we needed to do anyway, we are going to grow those numbers and do more, not just this year, but for the next four years in addition to this year,” said Wilson.
Wilson says Louisiana will receive the one-billion dollars over the next five years. He says more planning is needed to use any of it on a new Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, but for Lake Charles…
“We are going to use some of these dollars on the Calcasieu River Bridge, but recognize that bridge is upwards of a billion dollars more than likely by the time it’s awarded, I can’t use all of my money on any one project,” said Wilson.
Some of the bridges projects that will advance this year due to this funding include:
· LA 531 over I-20 Bridge Replacement in Webster Parish
· I-10 over US & Missouri Pacific RR in Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis Parishes
· Jimmie Davis Bridge Replacement in Caddo Parish
· US90Z – Harvey Canal Tunnel Rehabilitation in Jefferson Parish
· I-10 Sabine River Bridges Rehabilitation in Calcasieu Parish
· I-20 Orange Street Overpass Repair in Ouachita Parish
· US 61 Jefferson Highway Overpass Repair in East Baton Rouge Parish
· LA 47 Intracoastal Waterway Gulf Outlet Bridge Rehabilitation in Orleans Parish
· LA 485 Bridges near Allen Louisiana (Natchitoches Parish)
· LA 835 Creek Bridges in Morehouse Parish
· LA 121 over the Calcasieu River in Rapides Parish
· LA 182 over Berwick Bay Bridge Rehabilitation in St. Mary Parish
· US 51 over the Yellow Water River in Tangipahoa Parish
· LA 1183 over Turner Canal in Avoyelles Parish
· LA 1226 over Bayou Chevreuille in Natchitoches Parish
· LA 961 over Sandy Creek in East Feliciana Parish
· LA 404 Bayou and Canal Bridges in Iberville Parish
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