If another Mississippi River Bridge is built in the Baton Rouge area, one state lawmaker believes it should be named after President Trump. Monroe Republican Representative Michael Echols says if his legislation is approved, the proposed bridge that would be built south of the current Mississippi River Bridge would be named the “President Donald J. Trump Expressway.”
“Right now, the only way we’re going to get D.C.’s attention is with a big idea. We’ve got $3 billion worth of infrastructure that needs to be built, and no real plan on how to get that done,” Echols said.
Cost is a big hurdle when it comes to building a bridge that would connect LA Highway One in Iberville Parish to LA Highway 30. Echols says if Louisiana commits to naming the bridge after the President, there’s a better chance it will happen.
“Naming the bridge after somebody who controls the government’s purse strings is the first way to get this thing rolling. So we started with a big idea, and now we’re working towards securing the two to three billion dollars of federal dollars we need to get this thing built,” Echols explained.
Echols says U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson loves the concept and sent it to the White House. A new bridge could cost as much as $3 billion. Echols says most of the funding will need to come from the federal government, so if naming the bridge after President Trump gets it done, why not do it.
“I mean, it’s an absolute disaster what’s going on in Baton Rouge right now, slowing down economics, slowing down commerce, slowing down economic development. So our job is to get this put on top of the priority list and get it done for Louisiana,” Echols said.
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