Ascension Parish coalition urges state to prioritize widening La. 30

Business and political leaders in Ascension Parish are calling on state government to prioritize widening La. 30 from two to four lanes.

The highway is overburdened as it is, and the situation will only get worse as the parish continues to grow, says Anthony Ramirez, president and CEO of the Ascension Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Highway 30 Coalition.

“Ascension Parish is a major economic driver for the entire state,” he says. “This needs to be a state priority.”

La. 30 already is an important corridor for the Capital Region’s industrial sector. A new Mississippi River bridge likely would direct more traffic to the state highway, Ramirez says.

He says the state Department of Transportation and Development is looking at widening the highway through Ascension to the gates of LSU and is working on environmental and traffic impact studies and other preconstruction work. He says the coalition wants to help DOTD move the process along and serve as a resource, which could include facilitating rights of way acquisition or advancing smaller, parish-level projects.

Businesses along the highway pay about $500 million in annual wages and expect to add about 2,500 new jobs by 2024, according to the coalition.

This story originally appeared in an April 12 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.