Central Louisiana News

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) convened a Rural Community Funding Summit in Monroe, Louisiana today. The summit aimed to connect local officials with those distributing funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

"My goal is for Northeast Louisiana to do as well as it possibly can," said Dr. Cassidy. "Working in partnership with local officials to get resources to fix infrastructure is the way to get it done. This returns our tax dollars to our communities."

The IIJA has allocated over $9.1 billion to Louisiana for various projects. In Ouachita Parish, significant funding is directed towards highway surface transportation projects, including over $3.4 million for US 80: LA 617-Ouachita River Bridge, more than $2.9 million for Finks Hide-A-Way: Barkley-Bayou Oaks, and upwards of $2.5 million for Lee Avenue: Jackson Street-Standifer Avenue.

The IIJA also supports the development of I-20 corridor intercity passenger rail service through Monroe, Ruston, Shreveport, and Dallas. Additionally, funds have been secured for brownfield cleanups and improvements at Monroe Regional Airport.

Other notable grants include over $17.5 million for Mound Rest Area reservations in Madison Parish, more than $15.2 million for major surface transportation projects in West Carroll Parish, and over $10.5 million for the Ouachita River and LA Highway 165 Multimodal Connectivity and Safety Project in Caldwell Parish.

Several federal and state agencies participated in the summit co-hosted by the Louisiana Municipal Association alongside the Mayors of Monroe and West Monroe.

"Senator Cassidy is a great friend of Monroe," stated Mayor Friday Ellis of Monroe. "We know we can count on him to advocate for us."

West Monroe Mayor Staci Mitchell added, "West Monroe is already benefiting from Senator Cassidy’s infrastructure bill."

Five additional rural community funding summits are planned throughout Louisiana.