DOTD, EBR seek $2M federal grant to ease traffic congestion during I-10 work 

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(File photo)

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is seeking a $1.97 million grant to deploy adaptive traffic signals at 39 intersections on state roads expected to see heavier traffic as the Interstate 10 widening project is ongoing.

The grant was not awarded in a recent funding round though officials still hope to receive the money in a future round. 

“When the interstate work is taking place, it will help facilitate moving traffic,” says East Baton Rouge Parish Transportation Director Fred Raiford. “It’s only going to take about three months to get it in place once we do get approval. … That could all take place before the end of this year.” 

Raiford in a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation commits to providing maintenance of the traffic signal system within the project. Mayor Sharon Weston Broome and the Metro Council have approved the contract that allows for the state-parish partnership, he writes. 

Broome’s administration also is implementing a $59.6 federal highway grant for addressing Florida Boulevard from 22nd Street to Airline Highway, improving the roadway, adding crosswalks and providing more connectivity for sidewalks and bike lanes. The grant is approved and DOTD’s review of the project is ongoing, Raiford says. 

Other grants EBR is awaiting word on include:

  • An $86 million federal grant for a railroad overpass at Airline and Choctaw where train traffic can cause issues for emergency vehicles.
  • A $26 million FEMA grant for a diversion culvert and retention pond near Hurricane Creek. 
  • A $25 million FEMA grant for an upstream detention project associated with Lively Bayou.  







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