Ground broken on next phase of La. 1 project

Hundreds of citizens, dignitaries and a plethora of public officials turned out last Wednesday afternoon at Port Fourchon to celebrate the groundbreaking of the next segment of an elevated highway project that will eventually connect Port Fourchon to the town of Golden Meadow.

Ground was broken on a six-mile segment of future roadway that will extend from the completed Leeville overpass south to the intersection of La. 3090, the roadway leading to the port. The roadway will be two lanes and approximately 40 feet wide, rising some 23 feet above sea level.

Construction on the overpass portion of the project has been underway for a number of months, as witnessed by the cranes and heavy equipment located throughout the Leeville area.

To date, Congress has approved $125.5 million in federal funding and loans for the La. 1 improvement project.

Although complete funding has been acquired for the overpass portion of the project, the section from Leeville south to the port is still shy some $ 63 million, monies that Gov. Kathleen Blanco is expected to ask the Louisiana Legislature to provide in the upcoming regular session.

Blanco, on hand for the ceremony, told the assembled crowd that her administration is committed to full funding of the state portion of the project. “We need to invest in our highways, especially this one, because La. 1 provides a critical route for the oil, gas and fishing industries as well as providing a critical evacuation route for the people of the port and Grand Isle. This highway and the improvements being made to it are critical to the state and the nation,” she said.

Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph thanked Blanco for her unwavering support of the project, which the parish president noted may, at times, come at a cost because legislators in other areas of Louisiana are also seeking monies for highway improvements in their regions.

Figures indicate that over 1,200 trucks a day use the highway to provide the port and the offshore support companies based there the products needed to sustain the vibrant industry that has blossomed there in the last 15 years. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) head Johnny Bradberry, a native of Grand Isle, told the crowd that the highway will be built using “top down” or “end on” construction, which will limit the damage to the surrounding marshes.

“La. 1 is a critical lifeline to Louisiana’s ‘working coast,’ which supplies much of the energy that keeps our nation moving,” said U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon.† “More importantly, La. 1 is the only hurricane evacuation route for the tens of thousands of coastal residents, tourists, and offshore workers. When La. 1 floods, as is happening more and more frequently as the road sinks because of coastal erosion, these people are left stranded with no way to flee oncoming storms.Ü I am proud to have played a part in this project.Ü I will continue to work in Congress to get the additional federal funding we need to complete the La. 1 project.”ÜÜ

Also addressing the crowd were State Sen. Reggie Dupre who noted the “vision and persistence” of the people of the area to get the project moving.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said State Rep. Loulan Pitre Jr.

Work on the new overpass at Leeville crossing Bayou Lafourche is expected to be complete by 2009 and the six-mile elevated segment from Leeville south to the port has a tentative completion date of 2011.

LA 1 Coalition director Henri Boulet said that more of a focus will now be placed on acquiring monies to fund the initial design and engineering work for the proposed eight-mile segment of elevated roadway from Leeville north to the intersection of La. 3235 at the southern limits of Golden Meadow.

Pictured from left at the groundbreaking are: State Rep Carla Dartez (Morgan City); former LA 1 Coaltion head Roy Francis; State Rep. Loulan Pitre Jr.; State Sen. Reggie Dupre; State Sen. Noble Ellington; State Rep. Roy Quezaire; Gov. Kathleen Blanco; Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development head Johnny Bradberry; Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph; former U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin; U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon; an unidentified U.S. Coast Guard official; Greater Lafourche Port Commission Executive Director Ted Falgout; State Sen. Butch Gautreaux (Morgan City); and Louisiana Department of Natural Resources head Scott Angelle.