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$700M in Louisiana roadwork to be paid with oil spill money

Posted at 3:01 PM, Jun 04, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-04 16:01:33-04

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Louisiana lawmakers want to redirect nearly $700 million in Gulf oil spill recovery money that had been earmarked for trust funds to instead finance road and bridge work.

The state is receiving yearly payments of $53 million through 2034 from BP as compensation for economic damages from the massive 2010 oil spill.

With a 90-11 House vote Tuesday, lawmakers gave final passage to a bill by Houma Rep. Tanner Magee steering that money to infrastructure projects.

On the list, $150 million would pay for improvements to LA Highway 1, which leads to a critical oil and gas hub. Another $125 million would help fast-track a LA Highway 415 project in West Baton Rouge Parish.

Other dollars would go to Interstate 49 South construction and an I-49 connector in Caddo Parish.