Federal highway funding bill moves Louisiana closer to traffic relief

The recent House passage of a federal highway funding bill could alleviate traffic in Louisiana and the U.S. thanks to substantial increases in federal highway funding, U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) announced on Friday.

“Funding for our highway infrastructure is absolutely critical,” Boustany said. “In Louisiana, completing projects like I-49 South, renovation of the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles, or the completion of LA-1 are necessary if we want to grow our economy. We simply cannot have an advanced twenty-first century economy with an aging highway infrastructure.”

Other provisions in the bill that could aid Louisiana include the creation of the National Significant Freight and Highway Projects program that would provide transportation funding for major national or regional projects. A total of $4.5 billion of competitive grants over five years is included in the legislation.

“Funding for our highway infrastructure is absolutely critical,” Boustany said. “In Louisiana, completing projects like I-49 South, renovation of the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles, or the completion of LA-1 are necessary if we want to grow our economy. We simply cannot have an advanced twenty-first century economy with an aging highway infrastructure.”

Boustany did, however, raise concerns about funding mechanisms in the legislation, including the sale of 66 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which would partially cover the cost of the bill.

“Congress has repeatedly used the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a piggy bank to raid at its convenience, above the objections of many members from energy-producing states,” Boustany said. “This is tremendously stupid. In a time when many throughout the energy sector are struggling, I do not understand why the federal government would further flood the oil market, which will only harm our domestic industry and the families it employs. Only in Congress could you attempt to justify the policy of ‘buy high, sell low’ and get away with it.”