The Louisiana Transportation Authority will get its first glimpse next week at proposed guidelines for public-private partnerships to fund transportation needs in the state. The 23-page draft details how the state will enter into agreements with private entities to plan, develop, finance, construct and maintain transportation projects. Sharon Lyles, deputy general counsel to the Department of Transportation & Development, says it isn’t clear whether the nine-member board will simply discuss the draft guidelines or adopt them. The guidelines are key to a number of projects along the 10/12 corridor that are considering public-private partnerships for funding, including the Baton Rouge Loop, the Lafayette Metropolitan Expressway and possibly high-speed rail.
Lyles says the board will discuss the status of the Transportation Mobility Fund, intended to help get such projects off the ground. The Louisiana Legislature last year dedicated 7% of the motor vehicle license tax to the fund, but the budget crisis has put a stop to that.
So what does that mean for corridor projects? Baton Rouge Loop Project Manager Bob Schmidt says there is proposed legislation to prohibit future raids on the fund. In the meantime, the Loop is continuing with the first environmental phase of the project, for which it does have funding. “TMF provides funds for many transportation projects other than the Loop and groups like Driving Louisiana Forward are working to see that the funds are used for transportation projects and not budget shortfalls,” Schmidt says. “We anticipate (and hope) this is resolved before the Loop is affected.”—Penny Font
