The newest portion of the I-49 South extension is now complete. DOTD cut the ribbon for the LA 318 interchange Friday morning. State officials said they are excited to continue to I-49 project.
Governor Edwards was present at the ribbon cutting, expressing how proud he is of the project.
"Well first of all its important for a lot of reasons, the movement of commerce but also safety. This overpass here at the intersection of US 90 and LA 318 has been long overdue for improvements," Edwards said.
Among those improvements included getting rid of the traffic light that used to be at the intersection and replacing it with the new overpass.
DOTD secretary, Dr.Shawn Wilson, expressed his excitement at the ceremony also.
"We’re excited because this is a much safer development and a really good use of 55 million dollars. It’s a sign that we have a really good relationship with our contracting industry. They were able to acquire less property and save some of the trees and provide some alternatives for access that weren’t in the plans originally," Wilson said.
Representative Terry Landry is the chair of the House Transportation Committee, he praised the projects outcome and everyone who played a part in it.
"A marvelous piece of work and investment and I think one thing, I know there is a lot of economic value to what was done and has been done but the most important thing… I think your quality of life is going to improve," Landry said.
Governor Edwards said this is only the beginning and many more projects are ahead.
"We need to do more of these type of projects so that we are further along with the road to making I-49 South complete. That’s going to transform this entire region or state and allow for more economic growth, investment, job creations and a higher quality of life," Edwards said.
