Dive Brief:

• Louisiana's Department of Transportation has offered ways to turn a $5.1 billion plan for upgrading U.S. 90 to interstate standards into a $1.5 billion project.
• One of the major changes is taking out sections that were to be elevated and putting them on grade.
• The over project, known as I-49 South, is to turn 160 miles of U.S. 90 into a road that can be designated I-94 and that will improve commerce in the corridor from New Orleans to Lafayette, as well as providing a better hurricane evacuation route.

Dive Insight:

The state took on the task of cutting its road budget because, as State Treasurer John Kennedy said recently, "We can't rely on the fairy godmother (in Washington, D.C.) anymore." The state is also looking at a phased approach, as well as separately exploring financing options such as federal loans and tolls.