Tagged: transportation

The two-lane stretch of Louisiana Highway 1 that cuts through the marshes of south Lafourche Parish is the only road to Port Fourchon, the oil and gas hub that serves 90 percent of deepwater petroleum operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

When the highway is closed because of high water, as it was for three days during Hurricane Isaac, the industry takes an economic hit.

But, as The Advocate reports, each new storm brings with it the fear that the highway may wash away.

The westbound lanes on South Claiborne Ave. between Cambronne St. in Orleans Parish and Dakin St. in Jefferson Parish will close for two years, the City of New Orleans said today in a press release.

The closure, set to begin Sept. 17, is due to work being conducted on the drainage system beneath the street and neutral ground. Motorists will be detoured onto the eastbound lanes of South Claiborne.

A group considering tolls to help pay for Interstate 49 through Lafayette has put its work on hold pending a state study on using toll revenue to complete I-49 all the way to New Orleans.

Completing the interstate from Lafayette to New Orleans would cost an estimated $5 billion — a price tag that has been a major roadblock for the project.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is giving $9.4 million for repairs and other work to improve the safety at 10 regional airports around Louisiana.

Congressman Charles Boustany Jr. says the Lafayette Regional Airport Commission is getting $5.8 million to improve runway safety.

Sen. Mary Landrieu says another $1.2 million will pay to repair the runway at Lakefront Airport in New Orleans.