The LA 1 and Leeville Bridge improvement project will be the first state project to be considered for innovative funding by the newly formed Louisiana Transportation Authority (LTA). At their first meeting in May, the appointed members of the panel agreed to proceed with the last phase of a three-phase toll study for the project, aimed at more closely identifying the economic impact of various toll scenarios for the proposed new bridge and elevated roadway. Once this toll report is complete, LTA members will make a final decision on the feasibility of a toll to help fund construction costs for the roadway, and how any toll would be applied.

"Existing state revenues have made it cost-prohibitive for the state to commit traditional resources to large infrastructure projects like LA 1. The LTA, on the other hand, provides the state with a means to study and implement alternative means of financing," explains Rep. Loulan Pitre, who serves as an LTA alternate for House Transportation Committee Chair, Rep. Juba Diez. "The fact that this authority has selected LA 1 as its first project shows that the state recognizes the great importance of the highway."

Hank Danos, an executive committee member of the LA 1 Coalition, was appointed by Governor Mike Foster to the LTA, created by the legislature in 2001 to pursue alternative and innovative funding sources for state highway projects. These alternatives may include business-government partnerships and highway tolls. State law also provides for the LTA to manage any tollways that it approves, overseeing the planning, construction and operation of the project.

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Press contact:
Roy Francis, LA 1 Coalition
985.448.4485