Brady PieperThe Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is announcing $104 million in redistributed funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This funding will support state transportation initiatives including infrastructure budget shortfalls and critical road, bridge and safety projects.
DOTD has selected the transportation and infrastructure projects to be funded through the FHWA’s annual redistribution process, which reallocates unused transportation funds from other states and makes them available to states that request additional funding on a discretionary basis. Released in August, FHWA has made $8.7 billion available to states through this year’s redistribution.
To qualify for FHWA redistributed funds, states must present shovel-ready projects that are set to commence construction within the current fiscal year. Following a “use it or lose it” policy, the FHWA provides these funds on a timely basis, with states having until Sept. 25 to commit the funding.
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In Louisiana, the transportation and infrastructure projects will address a variety of initiatives from highway and road rehabilitation to repaving and safety installations. Despite using all of the state’s previously allocated federal infrastructure funds, Louisiana is still facing a backlog of projects. The new funds will help address budget shortfalls caused by inflation and higher bid costs, enabling the department to expedite critical road, bridge and safety projects across Louisiana.
Primarily addressing bids that came over budget, the following projects will be allocated funding under the FHWA’s redistribution:
- Acadia Parish to receive $22.13 million for I-10 rehabilitation.
- St. Mary Parish to receive $9.96 million for US 90 rehabilitation.
- Madison Parish to receive $6.88 million for Mound Rest Area renovations and improvements.
- Sabine Parish to receive $6.56 million for LA 6 rehabilitation.
- Natchitoches Parish to receive $6.22 million for US 71 bridge renovations near St. Maurice.
With the additional funding, DOTD will advance some projects included in Louisiana’s Highway Priority Program, which outlines key state transportation projects for each fiscal year. Through program projects, DOTD will speed up the preconstruction process and will aim to enhance the quality and safety of Louisiana’s transportation infrastructure.
Some of those projects include:
- Vernon Parish to repair and renovate LA 8 Forker Creek Bridge.
- East Baton Rouge and Livingston Parishes to patch pavement on I-10 and I-12.
- Lincoln, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland and Union Parishes to install rumble strips and begin striping phase 2 in District 5.
- Rapides Parish to begin part 2 of the Flashing Yellow Arrows project.
A full list of DOTD projects that will be supported by FHWA’s redistribution funds is available on DOTD’s website.
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