Guest opinion: La. 1 upgrades are a major victory for south Louisiana
Today marks a significant milestone for Louisiana and our nation’s energy security.
Elevating La. 1 has long been a priority for Louisiana, and we have worked hand-in-hand with local and state leaders, Port Fourchon and the offshore oil-and-gas industry to achieve today’s great milestone. We are breaking ground to complete the remaining central segment of the elevated highway between Golden Meadow and Leeville, ensuring reliable access to roughly 17% of America’s domestic crude oil and natural gas production off the coast of Louisiana. This is a big win for Lafourche Parish, for Louisiana and for our nation.
Earlier: Construction to start soon on elevated stretch of La. 1 in south Lafourche
La. 1 is the sole-access highway to America's busiest intermodal energy hub, Port Fourchon, which services over 90% of our nation's offshore energy exploration and production. La. 1 is also the only roadway to support the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which is vital to American and global oil markets.
Currently, this section of La. 1 can be shut down from even the smallest of tropical storms – placing the thousands of Louisiana families who rely on the highway as a hurricane-evacuation route at risk. This elevation is vital to the safety and wellbeing of Lafourche Parish residents.
So, how did we get here?
La. 1 has long been a top priority for the Louisiana congressional delegation, dating back to 2001, when former Rep. Billy Tauzin was able to have the highway recognized as a High Priority Corridor because of its strategic importance to the nation’s energy security. This led to significant progress and construction of Phase 1 of the project from Leeville to Port Fourchon. Then came Phase 2 – a portion of the project that Port Fourchon and local leaders knew would need federal and state support to become a reality.
Fast forward to 2020 – the two of us, along with Gov. John Bel Edwards, Members of the Louisiana Legislature, Louisiana DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson, Port Fourchon Executive Director Chett Chaisson and federal Department of Transportation officials – gathered in Congressman Scalise’s office in the U.S. Capitol to discuss the state’s application for elevating La. 1 as part of a major federal infrastructure grant program known as Infrastructure for Rebuilding America, or INFRA. The application demonstrated a historical level of community buy-in, including a $25 million match commitment from Port Fourchon, millions of dollars pledged collectively from 20 private industry partners, and matching $1.2 million pledges from both Lafourche Parish government and the La. 1 Coalition.
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Six months later, then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who had gotten used to hearing about La. 1 from Scalise and the Louisiana delegation, called Scalise to say that not only was La. 1 receiving a $135 million federal grant – it was receiving the largest INFRA grant in the country that year.
Today, we get to celebrate years’ worth of work and a monumental breakthrough for South Louisiana and our country.
At a time when America is experiencing arguably its worst energy crisis on record, a reliable La. 1 is more important than ever. Elevating La. 1 is not only essential for the protection of Louisiana families but absolutely vital for once again achieving American energy dominance and safeguarding access to our nation’s oil and natural gas supply.
— U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Metairie, represents a southeast Louisiana district that includes southern Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. Henri Boulet is executive director of the La. 1 Coalition.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: Guest opinion: La. 1 upgrades are a major victory for south Louisiana
