Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Dr. Shawn Wilson is in the nation’s capital for the President’s signing of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Wilson said it’s going to make a big impact in Louisiana in terms of guaranteeing revenue for projects.
“We’re going to see about $4.8 billion to sustain our regular program, and as you know certainty is a key with that, but more importantly we’re going to another billion dollars over the next five years spent on bridges,” said Wilson.
Wilson said not only will the bill allow for spending up to $470-million on public transportation in Baton Rouge but also things like electric vehicles and close to $200 million for airport investments
“And of course, twenty-plus million dollars for resilience projects, we know what we did with the floods, that’s the beginning of a brand-new program,” said Wilson.
Governor John Bel Edwards, Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Broome, and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell are also in DC for the bill signing today, along with Senator Bill Cassidy who co-authored the legislation, and Congressman Troy Carter who also voted for the bill.
Wilson said he’s looking forward to rolling out EV charging stations at public facilities and delivering what he believes will be the first passenger rail expansion in the state for quite some time with service from New Orleans to Mobile.
“Most importantly we want to get them done right, we want to do our due diligence and we want to make a difference for our citizens and businesses alike,” said Wilson.
In addition to major transportation projects, Wilson said he also wants to use infrastructure funds for road safety projects due to the state being one of 16 that failed to meet safety goals. Wilson said along with infrastructure projects to make our roads safer he envisions using funds for safety education and technology to reduce crashes.
Comments