DOTD chief asks feds for more highway funding

Louisiana DOTD secretary Johnny Bradberry recently met with U.S. DOTD secretary Norman Mineta to help Louisiana get more federal highway funding. Bradberry used the meeting to push for federal support and dollars for Louisiana's highway needs.

Bradberry wants officials to support passage of the federal highway bill, which stalled in Congress in September 2003.

Despite emergency temporary measures that supply federal highway funding while the bill is stalled, Bradberry said states have a difficult time planning for future projects when there is no long-term federal financing plan.

"It's starting to get very difficult and complicated," Bradberry said. "Projects are starting to get delayed. We have preliminary engineering work that cannot get started because of the way the funding comes to us."

The main source of federal highway funds is the 18.4-cents-per-gallon federal gasoline tax. Louisiana is a "donor state" because citizens pay more in gas taxes than the state receives in federal transportation funds.

Although Mineta did not make hard commitments to Louisiana, Bradberry said, "He's very interested in and supportive of our businesslike approach to DOTD."

Bradberry also asked Mineta to support funding Louisiana's high-priority projects, such as Interstate 49 and LA 1. Completing the northern part of I-49 from Shreveport to the Arkansas state line will cost about $320 million. I-49 will eventually link the Port of New Orleans to Canada.

The LA 1 project involves rebuilding the bridge at Leesville and adding an elevated road to Port Fouchon, providing a safe hurricane evacuation route and reliable access to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP). About 20 percent of the nation's oil supply is offloaded from LOOP and LA 1 provides the only route from LOOP into the continental United States.

Bradberry met with Mineta as he completed a tour of Washington D.C. officials. Bradberry also met with members and staffs of Louisiana's Congressional delegation and with Mary Peters, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.

Blanco, Strock pledge cooperation to reverse coastal degradation

Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and Lt. Gen. Carl A. Strock, chief of engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, recently reaffirmed the state-federal partnership and its commitment to the national goal of reversing Louisiana's coastal losses.

The signing ceremony for the partnership agreement was held in the LSU Energy, Coast and Environment Building on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. Strock signed the chief of engineers report during the ceremony, a crucial step in advancing the Louisiana Coastal Area Ecosystem Restoration Study (LCA Study).

The five-volume LCA Study is a near-term plan developed over the last 18 months following decades of work and cooperation among many people and agencies. The near-term plan identifies 15 projects upon which construction should begin within 10 years.

Five of the projects require immediate action to avoid higher costs in the future.

The LCA Study makes a number of other recommendations, including a science and technology program, demonstration projects and beneficial use of dredged material projects.

The chief's report is a summary of the LCA Study for Congress, which will now decide whether to authorize the $1.9 billion project. His signature signals completion of years of work by the Corps and the state through the Department of Natural Resources and other agencies.