U.S. Senator David Vitter says Lafayette and a few other communities in the state will be getting grant money from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

While the bulk of the money will go to the Lake Charles area, Lafayette City Parish Government will be receiving $304,250 to create a corridor plan for the I-49 Southern Corridor through Lafayette.

The total amount of grant money to the state is $12,069,591 for infrastructure investments throughout Louisiana.

Vitter says,

“Our nation’s infrastructure impacts our lives every day, and it needs attention and updates. As the top ranking Republican on the Senate committee, I helped pass a new highway bill out of committee in May, and I’m working to pass a bill that invests in Louisiana’s rundown roads and bridges and makes traffic relief is a top priority,” Vitter said. “Making sure our infrastructure is up-to-date will continue to be a top priority, and these grants will certainly help Louisiana move forward and accommodate our growth in these areas.”

The other grants to be awarded are:

  • $10,000,000 to the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District to construct barge fleeting infrastructure and dredging for these improvements.
  • $1,765,341 to the City of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish for the Nicholson Corridor High Capacity Transit System Plan project, which will prepare for the re-establishment of public transportation around and within Downtown Baton Rouge.

Vitter says the grants come from the Department of Transportation's Fiscal Year 2014 National Infrastructure Investments.

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