A Large, Controversial Project without a Consensus
Woody Jenkins
Editor, Central City News
BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby Jindal has exercised his line-item veto
power and eliminated all $6 million included in the State Capital
Outlay Program for further studies of the Baton Rouge Loop.
Unless Mayor-President Kip Holden, the chief advocate of the
Loop, can come up with another source of money, such as federal
funds, further studies of the $6 billion Loop project could be dead.
The project was dealt a heavy blow several weeks ago when the
parish presidents of Livingston, Ascension, and Iberville parishes withdrew
from the five-member Loop Commission. As a result, the
project could only be built in the West Baton Rouge. It has no funding
source for construction and has never been approved by the Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development as part of the state’s
Highway Priority Program. That program already has a backlog of
$12 billion in needed projects. Rep. Bodi White (R-Central),
who helped lead the fight against further funding of Loop
studies, said the governor made the right decision. He
praised suburban legislators in the parishes surrounding
Baton Rouge who were virtually unanimous in opposing Loop funding.
White said he hopes the governor’s decision spurs support for
Loop opponents’ alternative — extending Hooper Road across the
Amite River to Hwy. 16 in Watson. He said 85 percent of his constituents favor this approach. “This project would connect 60,000 people in Central and Watson at a cost of $75 to $125 million, a small fraction of the cost of the Loop.” The legislature this year appropriated $1.2 million toward studying
the new Amite River bridge. In his veto message, Jindal said,
“The Baton Rouge Loop-Phase 1 project request was not submitted timely and
did not receive late approval as required by the LRS 39:112. The state has scarce capital outlay and general fund dollars available to meet the capital outlay needs of our state. It is therefore important that major projects such as this have the widest support possible and the consensus of the legislative delegation in the area. That consensus has not thus far been achieved. Without the consensus of the public and the legislative delegation, the success of the project is in question. It would therefore be premature to fund the planning of such a large and controversial project until
a consensus can be achieved. Therefore, I am vetoing this item.”
NO LONGER A LOOP? The $6 billion Baton Rouge Loop has been
shrinking from the 90-mile-long highway shown at left. Loop sup- porters have now abandoned the Southern and Eastern by-passes as financially impossible. But they continue to promote the Northern By-Pass through Central. However, since Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer has withdrawn from the five-member Loop Commission, the highway would be forbidden by state law from entering Livingston Parish. It would have to end atthe Amite River. “It’s no longer a Loop!” Grimmer said.
http://www.centralcitynews.net/?haspdf=1
Woody Jenkins
Editor, Central City News
BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby Jindal has exercised his line-item veto
power and eliminated all $6 million included in the State Capital
Outlay Program for further studies of the Baton Rouge Loop.
Unless Mayor-President Kip Holden, the chief advocate of the
Loop, can come up with another source of money, such as federal
funds, further studies of the $6 billion Loop project could be dead.
The project was dealt a heavy blow several weeks ago when the
parish presidents of Livingston, Ascension, and Iberville parishes withdrew
from the five-member Loop Commission. As a result, the
project could only be built in the West Baton Rouge. It has no funding
source for construction and has never been approved by the Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development as part of the state’s
Highway Priority Program. That program already has a backlog of
$12 billion in needed projects. Rep. Bodi White (R-Central),
who helped lead the fight against further funding of Loop
studies, said the governor made the right decision. He
praised suburban legislators in the parishes surrounding
Baton Rouge who were virtually unanimous in opposing Loop funding.
White said he hopes the governor’s decision spurs support for
Loop opponents’ alternative — extending Hooper Road across the
Amite River to Hwy. 16 in Watson. He said 85 percent of his constituents favor this approach. “This project would connect 60,000 people in Central and Watson at a cost of $75 to $125 million, a small fraction of the cost of the Loop.” The legislature this year appropriated $1.2 million toward studying
the new Amite River bridge. In his veto message, Jindal said,
“The Baton Rouge Loop-Phase 1 project request was not submitted timely and
did not receive late approval as required by the LRS 39:112. The state has scarce capital outlay and general fund dollars available to meet the capital outlay needs of our state. It is therefore important that major projects such as this have the widest support possible and the consensus of the legislative delegation in the area. That consensus has not thus far been achieved. Without the consensus of the public and the legislative delegation, the success of the project is in question. It would therefore be premature to fund the planning of such a large and controversial project until
a consensus can be achieved. Therefore, I am vetoing this item.”
NO LONGER A LOOP? The $6 billion Baton Rouge Loop has been
shrinking from the 90-mile-long highway shown at left. Loop sup- porters have now abandoned the Southern and Eastern by-passes as financially impossible. But they continue to promote the Northern By-Pass through Central. However, since Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer has withdrawn from the five-member Loop Commission, the highway would be forbidden by state law from entering Livingston Parish. It would have to end atthe Amite River. “It’s no longer a Loop!” Grimmer said.
http://www.centralcitynews.net/?haspdf=1
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