BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana will receive $135 million in federal financing to help elevate a state highway leading to a critical national oil and gas hub, state officials announced Monday.
U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise and Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state will receive the U.S. Department of Transportation grant for improvements to Louisiana Highway 1 in Lafourche Parish heading to Port Fourchon.
Scalise called the federal grant award from the Trump administration “a major victory for our region’s safety and America’s energy security.”
The highway upgrade includes four phases. The federal money, which comes from a $900 million infrastructure grant program, will help elevate an 8.3 mile stretch of Highway 1 from Golden Meadow to Leeville.
The grant will come on top of $150 million in oil spill recovery money that the Democratic governor and state lawmakers have pledged for the highway work.
Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, said the highway is critical as a key hurricane evacuation route and to the national energy infrastructure at Port Fourchon. He noted the highway was closed June 8 because of flooding from Tropical Storm Cristobal.
“Elevating LA 1 is not only essential for the protection of Louisiana families, but absolutely vital for achieving American energy dominance and safeguarding access to our nation’s oil and natural gas supply,” Scalise said in a statement.
