Nola Reporter

NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans is the recipient of a $61.5 million award from the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve safety and mobility along the I-10 Service Roads in New Orleans East. These funds will be used to construct shared-use trails along the North and South Service Roads, trail connections at the existing interchanges, new non-motorized bridges crossings of the interstate and lighting along the Service Roads. 

“This is a generational investment in the transportation and mobility of New Orleans East that will be transformational for the community,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “Ensuring our residents can safely and efficiently move around the city has been a top priority of my administration. This project will build new connections between neighborhoods to ensure residents can safely access job opportunities and more. This will further boost economic and workforce development, improving the quality of life for New Orleans East residents and welcoming more businesses to do work in the East." 

A feasibility study was initiated in 2022, in partnership with the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission (RPC) and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD), to identify projects along the I-10 corridor to improve safety and mobility for people walking, bicycling and using transit along the Service Roads. Through community meetings and stakeholder engagement, concepts were developed that laid the foundation for a strong and ultimately successful proposal for federal funding. Once the funding agreements are finalized, the City and its partners will initiate an environmental review and project design effort prior to the start of construction. 

“I am proud to see investments from the Inflation Reduction Act that I championed become a reality,” said Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02). “We know that community-centered transportation, especially in disadvantaged neighborhoods, is critical to improving access to people’s daily needs like jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature and recreation. These improvements will give Louisianans more freedom and make our communities safer.” 

The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program received over $3 billion as part of the Inflation Reduction Act to support projects advancing community-centered transportation and addressing transportation barriers, with a priority for projects that benefit disadvantaged communities by improving access to daily needs, such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature and recreation. The award for the City of New Orleans was one of the 385 awards distributed across the U.S. and territories, including two awards in Louisiana. More information about the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program can be found here. 

In January 2022, the City created a multi-departmental Federal Infrastructure Task Force to analyze infrastructure needs and secure funding from new federal infrastructure and climate funding programs. This task force authored the City’s proposal. 

Original source can be found here.