—BRADENTON, Fla. The Louisiana Transportation Funding Task Force plans to hold its first meeting Sept. 10 in Baton Rouge to study new ways of funding state and local road and bridge projects.
The eight-member panel, created by the Legislature during the 2014 regular session, ultimately will make recommendations about what kinds of transportation funding mechanisms should be used in the state, according to the resolution sponsored by Rep. Karen Gaudet St. Germain, D- Plaquemine.
"Louisiana's infrastructure is poorly maintained, inadequately funded, and not designed to meet tomorrow's demands," said the resolution by St. Germain, who is a member of the task force, and is chairwoman of the House Transportation, Highways, and Public Works Committee.
The state reportedly has a $12 billion backlog of road and bridge funding needs.
The task force is expected to study all potential funding mechanisms, and to determine the benefits, costs and detriments of each funding mechanism that can potentially be used by the state and local governments.
A final report is due to the House and Senate transportation committees by Jan. 15.
Task force's meetings will be webcast on the Louisiana Legislature's home page, where agendas will also be posted, according to Katie Giroir with the House Transportation Committee.
The Sept. 10 meeting will feature a presentation on the state's existing funding mechanisms by the state Department of Transportation and Development, and a speaker from the Southern Legislative Conference will discuss various funding strategies used by other states, Giroir said.
The resolution creating the task force notes that Louisiana has the fourth-largest bridge surface area in the United States with more than 15 million square feet of bridge deck, yet it ranks in the bottom third of federal funding for bridge maintenance, repair, and replacement.
It also recognizes the potential insolvency of the federal Highway Trust Fund due to declining vehicle miles traveled and more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Though the resolution is not specific about methods of funding that should be studied by the task force, it recognizes that other states are developing their own plans for raising additional transportation revenue, and are seeking "new partnerships and innovative funding and financing mechanisms to develop and maintain their transportation infrastructure."
