[StBernard] Baker secures $600K for projects in Ascension, Livingston and Iberville Parishes

[Westley Annis]

The News from Congressman Richard H. Baker

Sixth District , Louisiana 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 14, 2007 

CONTACT: Megan Bel, 202-225-3901 

Baker secures $600K for projects in Ascension, Livingston and Iberville Parishes 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, secured $500,000 for improvements to LA 42 and LA 16 and $100,000 for a visitors’ center in Grosse Tete as part of the House-Senate conference report for the fiscal year 2008 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development appropriation bill that passed the House of Representatives this afternoon. 

Specifically, LA 42 will receive $250,000 for safety improvements.  LA 42, which spans from US Highway 61 to LA 22, is one of the most heavily traveled roads in Ascension Parish, and includes dangerous curves like the one near Airline Highway coined the “dead man’s curve.”  The $250,000 for LA 16 will go toward widening the two-mile section of the road from Denham Springs to Watson.  The $100,000 for the Iberville Visitors’ Center will assist the Parish with construction of the center, which will be located Westbound on I-10 in Grosse Tete.  

“Since the 2005 hurricanes, one of our biggest challenges continues to be road congestion, and commute times in the Baton Rouge area are absolutely unacceptable,” Baker said.  “With increased traffic counts, we’re also seeing more accidents. We must relieve congestion on our busiest stretches of roadways and make our highways safer, and the funding in this bill helps us to accomplish that.”  

This legislation now heads to the President for his consideration. 

Baker, a senior member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, intends to seek greater federal funding toward both road projects in the next major highway construction bill, which is expected in 2009.  

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