by Tribune Staff
U.S Rep. Troy A. Carter Sr. recently announced the first round of investments in repairing Louisiana’s bridges under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Congressman Carter put in the hours with his committee colleagues and White House contacts to mark up and ultimately pass this historic investment for our nation and Louisiana. The Infrastructure Law will specifically provide $202.7 million for Louisiana’s bridges in Fiscal Year 2022, which is just the first installment of a historic total $1 billion investment in the state’s bridges over the next five years.
Congressman Carter was the only member of Louisiana’s U.S. House delegation to vote for the Infrastructure Law. However, benefits from the program’s billion-dollar investments will be felt in every parish and every corner of the state.
The funds will soon be sent to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for distribution.
Louisiana has the third-largest bridge infrastructure in the nation when the number of bridges and bridge size is accounted for. Currently, there are 7,846 state-owned bridges, with 795 needing major rehabilitation or replacement, and 4,736 locally-owned bridges, with 793 in need of rehabilitation or replacement.
According to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, some of the bridge projects that will advance this year thanks to this funding include, among others:
• US 90Z Harvey Canal Tunnel Rehabilitation in Jefferson Parish
• US 61 Jefferson Highway Overpass Repair in East Baton Rouge Parish
• LA 47 Intracoastal Waterway Gulf Outlet Bridge Rehabilitation in Orleans Parish
• LA 404 Bayou and Canal Bridges in Iberville Parish
“The Infrastructure Law is delivering real, results for our community, and I am proud to have been a key part of bringing these investments to life through my work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,” said Congressman Carter. “Repairing our bridges will make our community safer, create jobs in our local economy, allow commerce to move more efficiently, and help us stay connected. The first part of my district-wide ‘Building a Better Louisiana Infrastructure Tour’ last month celebrated several projects across the Second Congressional District that will make daily life better for Louisianians. With the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, today’s funding announcement makes clear that the impacts of the Infrastructure Law are wide-reaching, and will fundamentally change Louisiana for the better, from the ground up.”
