If you are tired of the crappy, pothole-ridden roadways in Louisiana wrecking your front end alignment and spilling your drink every time you jump in the car - I got fantastic news!  According to NOLA.com, $700 million dollars will be funneled into  road and bridge repair where it is needed most - everywhere.

Oil giant British Petroleum (BP) is paying Louisiana $53.3 million per year all the way through 2034 thanks to the massive settlement for the huge 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  This is above the money the $300 billion per year company pays for coastal reconstruction directly relating to the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, also known as the largest marine oil spill in history.  The yearly payments, earmarked for trust funds, will now be directed to infrastructure projects thanks to House Bill 578 passing by an incredibly large margin ( 90-11) in the House yesterday.  The bill is now headed to the governor's desk for a final signature.

Once official, the new funds would be directed to a predetermined list of projects.  According to the report, these projects would include (but are not limited to):

  • $150 million to Interstate 49 South.
  • $50 million to Louisiana 3241 from Interstate 12 to Bush in St. Tammany Parish.
  • $100 million to the I-49 North Inter-City Connector in Caddo Parish.
  • $20 million to buy a new Cameron Parish ferry.
  • $40 million to replace and rehabilitate bridges around the state.
  • $19 million to the Sugar House Road extension project in Rapides Parish.
  • $20 million to buy two cranes for the Port of New Orleans.
  • $15 million to the Hooper Road widening project in East Baton Rouge and St. Helena parishes.

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