BATON ROUGE -  U.S. Congressman Garret Graves announced Friday that Louisiana is set to receive $14,350,478 in federal funding from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to address traffic issues in the southern part of the state.

Congressman Graves is encouraging the Department of Transportation and Development to use the funds to support a new span of the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge so as to dramatically reduce traffic in that area.

He hopes the project will ease congestion problems in the following areas:

- LA-30 as the eastern approach to the new crossing.
- LA-1 in West Baton Rouge and Iberville Parishes as the western approach to the crossing, including improvements to the Intracoastal Bridge.
- Completing improvements to LA-415.
- Investing in administrative hurdles of making this megaproject a reality, including pre-engineering, design, and environmental assessments.

Graves would also like the money to sponsor the elevation of LA-1 between Leeville and Golden Meadow and the completion of the Pecue Lane Interchange.

Click here to view a letter from Congressman Graves to Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson regarding the funds and their suggested use.