Congressman Garret Graves, who in the past has called for completely overhauling the Capital Area Transit System, says the agency is taking positive steps under CEO Bill Deville.
“I think they’re moving in the right direction,” Graves says. “Are they at the end zone yet? No they’re not. Neither is obviously our interstate system and everything else. Their progress is certainly commendable.”
The Republican congressman, who represents large parts of suburban Baton Rouge, lauded Deville’s moves to buy smaller buses and to eliminate some inefficient spending on little-used trolley routes.
Graves’ current take on CATS is more subdued. Last year, he told Daily Report: “The CATS system is a disaster. It should be blown up and we should start over again.”
The transit system has had trouble filling buses and running on time for years. Graves says he still believes the agency has an “incredibly dysfunctional” structure and would like to see more fundamental changes.
Also on the transportation front, despite recent comments from state Department of Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson saying the Trump administration’s policy shift on infrastructure spending would leave Louisiana “structurally disadvantaged” to pay for projects, Graves says it is a step in the right direction.
“I think the federal government is actually moving in the right direction,” Graves says.
The representative says he’s advocated for the federal government to streamline infrastructure spending—which is currently done by several agencies—and “fully resource” projects that are identified as priorities. He criticized the current system, where federal dollars pay for 80% to 90% of certain projects but also leaves others up in the air. He also wants to dump all the money in various silos dedicated to different areas of transportation into one pot.
Louisiana “without question” needs more resources for transportation, Graves says. Still, the state needs to fix “foundational issues” before more money is invested.
Graves also says that if certain federal dollars remain limited to specific areas like rail, he is open to a Baton Rouge to New Orleans passenger rail. That project has been long discussed and engineers are currently designing rail stations in downtown Baton Rouge and elsewhere.
—Sam Karlin
