DOTD Secretary Maintains Safety As His Main Priority (AUDIO)

The growing Acadiana area has seen a lot of DOTD crews working lately.

Projects such as the I-49 Connector Project and constant maintenance to Louisiana's stretch of Interstate 10, give drivers the onstant reminder that a lot of work goes into our daily commutes.

Secretary of Louisiana's Department of Transportation and Development Shawn Wilson, Ph.D., joined Rob and Bernie on the phone this morning to discuss several topics including ongoing infrastructure projects and his persistent will to commute.

Wilson, who lives in Lafayette, commutes to Baton Rouge every day. so when Interstate traffic is concerned, he understands the occasional headaches of congestion, closures and detours.

He said in the more than 18 years that he has commuted from Lafayette to Baton Rouge, he has only had about a dozen "bad traffic days."

Wilson said his department is diligently working on projects in and around Lafayette that include the Interstate 49 Connector Project.

Projects, such as that one, may be aimed to improve traffic congestion and to bolster economic stability in the areas they serve, Wilson said, his main priority when making infrastructure changes remains public safety.

On the Evangeline Thruway, south of Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Wilson said J-turns and other expansion projects have improved the safety of the Highway 90 commute by 30 percent.