Jindal announces road projects
Roads in West Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes are set to be among the first beneficiaries of $150 million in rural road improvements that stem from the 2012 legislative session.
Gov. Bobby Jindal, who pushed the legislation, released his proposed list during a news conference on Wednesday in Monroe.
The projects face review by the state Bond Commission.
The initial list includes 80 roads statewide, including three in West Baton Rouge Parish and one in Livingston Parish.
None are in East Baton Rouge Parish.
All the roads getting the money are ineligible for federal aid.
One of the West Baton Rouge projects will resurface 1.2 miles of La. 982 between La. 415 and the Pointe Coupee Parish line.
It will cost between $500,000 and $1 million.
A second project will involve patching and resurfacing 4.2 miles of La. 413 between La 76 and U. S. 190.
It will cost between $1 million and $2.5 million.
The third effort is the resurfacing of 2.6 miles of La. 413 between U.S. 190 and the Pointe Coupee Parish line.
It will cost between $1 million and $2.5 million.
The Livingston Parish work will resurface about four miles of La. 444 between La. 63 and Gum Swamp Road, and include the installation of a new drainage pipe.
The pricetag is between $2.5 million and $5 million.
Jindal said in a prepared statement that the improvements “will upgrade roads that in some cases have not been repaired in 30 years,” which he said will make the state more attractive to businesses and its roads safer for families.
The legislation approved earlier this year is a $325 million borrowing plan that will be spread over three years.
Another $75 million from the fund will also be used, which means a total of $425 million in upgrades.
The spending relies on the State Highway Improvement Fund, which was set up in 2006 to help Louisiana’s 6,000 miles of roads that cannot get federal dollars.
The fund generates about $50 million per year from commercial vehicle registration and license fees.
The law allows half of that money to be used to issue bonds, which is a form of borrowing, and pay them off over 20 years.
The 80 projects announced on Wednesday will cover about 360 miles of rural roads.
About 1,100 miles of roads will be upgraded in the next three years.
Other area projects include four in St. Landry Parish.
They are La. 105 between La. 3173 and La. 3178; La. 105 between La. 3178 and U. S. 190; La. 360 between La. 10 and La. 105; and La. 748 between the Evangeline Parish line and La. 363.
In St. Martin Parish, the list includes upgrades on La. 3177 between Church Loop and Interstate 10 and La. 352 between Herman Dupuis Road and Coffee Town Road.
The state Department of Transportation and Development is set to start accepting bids for the work in January.