Local projects get state funding

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 14, 2010

By TOM ASWELL

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

BATON ROUGE – Led by St. John the Baptist Parish’s $20.6 million in construction project appropriations, the three parishes of St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James received more than $29.9 million in 15 first-year appropriations in the state capital outlay budget, according to bills contained in HB-2 of the 2010 Legislature.

The three parishes were also part of four multi-parish Priority 1 appropriations totaling $21.75 million, and St. Charles was part of another Priority 1 multi-parish appropriation of $22.3 million.

St. Charles had six projects totaling $4.745 million approved for Priority 1, or first-year funding, followed by three projects of $4.6 million. Five projects worth almost $6.1 million were approved for Priority 2, or second-year funding for all three parishes, and three projects totaling $10.45 million were included in fifth-year appropriations.

HB-2, the 2010 capital outlay bill, was passed during the regular legislative session just ended. Containing some 850 construction projects totaling $4.5 billion, the bill was signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal, who vetoed only eight projects totaling $20.1 million.

Priority 1 projects approved for St. John Parish included:

• $5.5 million for Garyville Roadway improvements;

• $11.97 million for the Gramercy Bridge West approach on Louisiana Highway 3127;

• $100,000 for Woodland Road between Cambridge and Belle Terre (Louisiana Highway 3188);

• $2 million for replacement of Globalplex Dock access bridge and equipment;

• $500,000 for dock planning and construction;

• $500,000 for Globalplex Intermodal access road and rail siding ($5.8 million local and federal match);

Priority 1 projects approved for St. Charles Parish included:

• $3.04 million for East Bank ground storage tanks;

• $540,000 for the St. Charles Emergency Center;

• $350,000 for the St. Charles Community Health Center for a public health facility in Norco;

• $500,000 for the Port of South Louisiana for land acquisition and infrastructure development for a public port and industrial park;

• $175,000 for a West Bank ground storage tank;

• $140,000 for an East Bank clarifier.

Priority 1 projects for St. James Parish are:

• $3.5 million for St. James Parish land acquisition;

• $1 million for St. James Hospital replacement planning;

• $100,000 for turn lanes on Louisiana Highway 3125 and Louisiana Highway 3274.

(Coming Saturday: Priority 2 through 5 projects.)