(KLFY) – The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that loans totaling $40.9 million will be provided to the Louisiana State Bond Commission for the benefit of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD).
According to USDOT, the two low-interest loans will be dedicated to a ferry project and a bridge improvement program.
The two projects that will benefit from the financing are:
- Cameron Parish Ferry Project ($19.2 million) to provide a ferry service between Calcasieu Ship Channel on LA 27 between Cameron and Holly Beach in Cameron Parish.
- Statewide Bridge Program ($21.7 million) to replace 11 structurally deficient bridges in rural areas across several parishes.
According to USDOT, these projects qualify for Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovated Act’s (TIFIA) Rural Project Initiative.
“USDOT’s support for these ferry and bridge projects will help Louisiana keep people, goods, and services moving across the state,” Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg said. “We are excited to support Louisiana’s efforts to improve infrastructure, connectivity, and safety for rural communities.”
Executive Director Morteza Farajian said that “these are the fifth and sixth loans that Louisiana has closed over the past year as part of a bundle approach, which allows for more efficient processing and expedient closing. This is a model for projects around the country as we put infrastructure funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to work.”
USDOT has closed $38.5 billion in TIFIA financing, supporting over $132.5 billion in infrastructure investments across the country.