Governor John Bel Edwards signed a bill Friday, giving the state an additional 700-million dollars to spend on specific transportation projects.
The money comes from the BP oil spill settlement, but Edwards says the legislation does not reduce funds for repairing the coast that was damaged by the spill.
“These dollars were in the settlement with the state for the state’s out of pocket expenses for that spill,” said Edwards.
The money will fund highway projects in St. Tammany, Lafayette, Caddo and Rapides parishes.
Other projects will improve L-A 1 in Lafourche Parish and I-49 through Acadiana. 125-million dollars will also be allocated for the L-A 415 connector, a new four-lane roadway to help traffic congestion on I-10 in West Baton Rouge Parish.
There’s also 20-million dollars for a new Cameron Parish ferry.
Houma Representative Tanner Magee and Port Allen Senator Rick Ward are co-authors of the legislation that will fund these important transportation projects. Ward says he started meeting Magee about the legislation in January.
“And I think at time everyone thought that this would be a long shot, but here we are today,” said Ward.