Louisiana improves 3 spots in Annual Highway Report by Reason Foundation
Friday, November 20, 2020 at 9:44:38 AM
BATON ROUGE – Today, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development addressed the Annual Highway Report released by Reason Foundation that ranked the state 31st in the nation for overall cost-effectiveness and condition.
“The report notes that Louisiana’s ranking improved three spots from the previous report, up from 34th overall,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D. “While we are pleased in the improvement, the unfortunate reality is that our transportation system is the victim of many decades of severely inadequate investment.”
The report ranks Louisiana 20th in total spending per mile and 6th in capital and bridge costs per mile. The state’s best rankings are in administrative disbursements per mile (5th) and capital and bridge disbursements per mile (6th).
According to this report, the state ranks 48th in both urban interstate pavement condition and overall fatality rate.
The Department is funded primarily through the fuel tax, which has not been increased in over 30 years.
“DOTD is highly efficient in allocating the revenue that is available, and in taking advantage of a multitude of federal funding opportunities,” Dr. Wilson said. “But the only way to truly address the condition of our infrastructure is establish an adequate revenue stream, something that has been put off for far too long.”
With the 15th largest highway system in the country based on state-owned highway mileage, DOTD works to ensure that the dollars available to the Department are put to the most prudent use. This is, in part, accomplished through the Highway Priority Program, an annual process voted on by the state legislature.