I-12 Widening St. Tammany Parish – Benefits of Transportation (original) (raw)

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s expansion of I-12 will save drivers time and improve safety on I-12 through St. Tammany Parish. That corridor is a vital freight corridor and economic superhighway, connecting Florida to Texas and the states in between. DOTD is confident that local businesses will see vast growth opportunities, due to the reliable infrastructure improvements.

DOTD broke ground on the highly anticipated widening and overlay of Interstate 12 in St. Tammany Parish. The nearly 10-mile project will be completed in three separate phases.

Phase one, which began construction in May 2020, will widen I-12 from LA 59 to U.S. 190. Phase two, which will widen I-12 from U.S. 190 to LA 21, began construction in late 2020.

Most of the funding for phase one, 43.4million,comesfromfederalredistributionfunds,whichismoneyleftoverfromotherfederallysourcedprojectsacrossthecountry.St.TammanyParishprovided43.4 million, comes from federal redistribution funds, which is money left over from other federally sourced projects across the country. St. Tammany Parish provided 43.4million,comesfromfederalredistributionfunds,whichismoneyleftoverfromotherfederallysourcedprojectsacrossthecountry.St.TammanyParishprovided8 million and the remaining $2.8 million has been sourced through the state.

Funding for phase two is being sourced through a 25millionfederalBUILDgrant,obtainedbySt.TammanyParish,aswellasa25 million federal BUILD grant, obtained by St. Tammany Parish, as well as a 25millionfederalBUILDgrant,obtainedbySt.TammanyParish,aswellasa7.2 million commitment from the parish. The remaining funds are being paid by the state of Louisiana.

Both projects cost more than $54 million individually and are estimated to be completed within two years.

On average, more than 95,000 drivers use that stretch of I-12 daily, but estimates show that number could grow exponentially in the coming years. However, the need for expansion is present now. This project is but one example of what can be accomplished if state, local and federal partners work together to improve safety, efficiency, and the quality of life for Americans.

Read additional stories from this state:

2021

2020