Louisiana Receives $5 Million Federal Grant For Iberia and Richland Parish Highway Improvements

Federal Highway Administration
23 March 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Contact: Stephanie Roth
(202) 366-0660
FHWA 03-06e

Washington, DC – Louisiana is receiving $5 million in federal grants to reconstruct State Highway 671/688 in Iberia Parish and the Georgie Ridge Road Bridge over the Boeuf River in Richland Parish, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said today.

The grants are part of a federal program that supports transportation infrastructure and economic development in the Delta region of the U.S.

"Investing in new road projects will help countless travelers and residents alike better connect to the heart, spirit and soul of the Delta region," said Mineta. "This investment will help Iberia and Richland Parish drivers get to their homes, jobs and errands more quickly and safely."

The Department of Transportation is providing more than $24 million in grants to eight states in the Delta region. In addition to Louisiana, states receiving grants are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

The highway, transit and safety law signed by President Bush in August 2005 provides an additional $40 million for transportation projects in the Delta region. It also provides $1 million to the Delta Regional Authority for a study of transportation needs and priorities in the eight states. The Delta Regional Authority is a federal-state partnership established to further economic development in the Delta.