Work to relieve the chronic congestion along Interstate 10 in the heart of Baton Rouge could come in less than two years, but only if the community moves quickly and gets behind the project, says newly appointed Secretary of Transportation and Development Shawn Wilson.
During President Barack Obama’s visit here Thursday, Gov. John Bel Edwards asked the president for $100 million in federal funds to widen I-10 between I-49 in Lafayette and the Atchafalaya Basin. If granted, those federal funds would free up money for other congestion-relief projects in the state, including, for instance, relocating the Washington Street exit in Baton Rouge, or widening another portion of I-10.
Wilson says if those funds become available, it’s important for the state to be ready to move forward so that it can take advantage of them. That’s particularly true in the Capital Region, where more than $4.5 billion of the $12 billion of backlogged construction projects in the state are located.
“We have to have projects ready to go,” Wilson says. “We have to get past the study stage, get past the design stage and get ready for construction to be able to take advantage of the money that is available.”
Certain steps in the regulatory process such as environmental review cannot be shortened or eliminated. But the community engagement process, which is also required of federal highway construction projects, can be expedited if the community comes together, Wilson says. In the past, discussions about widening portions of I-10 in Baton Rouge have met with opposition from residents and business owners.
“If we can’t make a decision on what to build, then nothing will get built,” Wilson says. “So the most important thing I would say to the community is get involved, make a decision sooner rather than later.”
The community also needs to recognize that certain mega projects like a new span across the Mississippi River will take many years to build, while widening the interstate could proceed relatively quickly and be done in stages.
“If a decision is made to widen the interstate and we get environmental clearance we could potentially go to construction in a matter of a year and a half,” he says.
—Stephanie Riegel
