WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D (R-LA) today announced that Louisiana will benefit from over $32 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to improve transportation infrastructure in Baton Rouge and Ruston.
Baton Rouge will receive a $15 million grant, and Ruston will receive a $17.2 million grant. Both were awarded through DOT’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program.
Baton Rouge will use the money to fund Louisiana’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) project. The Plank-Nicholson BRT line will stretch nine miles across the city to connect northern and southern Baton Rouge to downtown and LSU. Additional roadway, sidewalk and intersection infrastructure improvements will provide expanded connectivity and increased safety.
“This project relieves traffic and connects all parts of Baton Rouge, giving residents, downtown workers and LSU students, faculty and staff a better way to move about the city,” said Dr. Cassidy.
Ruston will construct new roadways and revitalize existing roads from the I-20 corridor to downtown Ruston and Louisiana Tech University. Known as the Monroe Street Corridor Project, it will serve as a Smart Cities Innovation Testbed, which will embed sensors and provide real-time data for traffic, parking, environmental conditions, and create a network needed to research and develop autonomous vehicles.
“Ruston has experienced major growth within the last decade. This project supports the city’s advancement in leading new research into the vehicles of the future,” said Dr. Cassidy.
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