Road, bridge aid sparking spate of bills in Legislature

After years of complaints but few solutions, Louisiana’s roads and bridges are suddenly sparking heavy interest in the Legislature.

Despite long odds, House Transportation Committee Chairwoman Karen St. Germain, D-Pierre Part, wants to boost state aid for roads and bridges by $675 million per year by increasing the state sales tax by 1 cent.

That would raise about $7 billion over 10 years — the most sweeping such proposal since a $3 billion highway plan died in 2011 within hours of being announced and without a single vote being taken.

A total of 15 projects would benefit, including construction of a new bridge over the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge, upgrades at the Port of New Orleans to handle bigger ships and improving Interstate 49 between Lafayette and Broussard.

Read more: http://theadvocate.com/news/12157865-123/road-bridge-aid-sparking-spate