The move could help ease massive traffic tie-ups in all four directions leading to the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge.

A project that has been on the drawing board more than five years could come to fruition, thanks to an influx of federal money.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced last week its Build America Bureau has provided an $88.3 million loan to the Louisiana Bond Commission for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to build the La. 415 Connector, a new link between La. 1 and La. 415 at Interstate 10 in Port Allen.

By providing Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing loans and other financing, the bureau helps communities expedite infrastructure projects and reduce project costs.

“The project is critical to improving resiliency and enhancing safety for people in the region by providing a direct connection and evacuation route for areas south of I-10,” Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg said. “The new access west of La. 1 will also support regional economic growth for residents and businesses in this area.”

This loan is part of a plan that includes $38 million in other federal funding for the $268 million project.

The project will build 2.7 miles of a new two-lane roadway to connect La. 1 and I-10, bridge structures over the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a new interchange between La. 415 and La. 1, and modifications of the I-10 ramps at La. 415.

“Louisiana strategically leveraged funding from a settlement with BP to finance a bundle of projects, which helped make the loan process more efficient,” Executive Director Morteza Farajian said. “This is the state’s seventh loan closed since 2021 for a total of $289 million, accelerating delivery of critical transportation solutions, including five rural projects.” 

“If all projects funded by the BP settlement were to be funded on a PAYGO-only basis, the construction would not be able to begin until 2025,” DOTD Secretary Dr. Eric Kalivoda said. “By prioritizing the eligible projects that are ready and accelerating construction by borrowing through the TIFIA program against the BP settlement funding, the state has accelerated the project lettings by four years and saved approximately $75 million in inflation costs from a delayed construction start.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation has closed $39.8 billion in TIFIA financing, supporting more than $136.1 billion in infrastructure investment across the country. 

Traffic tie-ups – some along the Intracoastal Waterway, others along Interstate 10 – often lead to bottlenecks that stretch several miles west of La. 415 and extend well past the I-10/I-12 split in Baton Rouge.

The move would help speed up the transportation of goods along one of the most crucial stretches of Interstate 10, which extends from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Fla.

The project was included in a $700 million infrastructure bill Gov. John Bel Edwards signed in June 2019.

As part of the legislation, the bill provides $125 million for a 2.7-mile connection from I-10 at La. 415 to La. 1 to an area near La. 988 (Beaulieu Lane) near the Intracoastal Waterway.

The project will require elevated structures, including flyover ramps northbound from La. 1 to southbound La. 1, according to DOTD.

The origins of an alternate route go back to 1972 when West Baton Rouge Parish government included it in the master plan, one year before completion of the stretch of I-10 between La. 415 and U.S. 167 (now I-49) in Lafayette.

This new connector will assist in improving connectivity on I-10 in West Baton Rouge, as well as provide a relief route for local traffic during peak hours, divert traffic from accidents along La. 1, and provide a direct connection for commercial vehicles to facilities at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge.

It also will serve as an additional evacuation route for areas south of I-10.