Louisiana's Crumbling Roads

Crumbling roads and traffic congestion are hurting Louisiana in its efforts to grow economically. Nearly half of Louisiana’s major roads and highways have pavements in poor or mediocre condition.  Poor roads and highways are also a major safety concern; Louisiana’s traffic fatality rate is 41 percent higher than the national average.

To make matters worse, Louisiana’s bridges are deteriorating. More than 40 percent of on-system bridges are more than 40 years old, dilapidated and in need of repair. About one in five (18 percent) of state bridges are load-posted, which negatively impacts commerce and safety, and 15 percent of Louisiana’s bridges are rated deficient and 17 percent are functionally obsolete.