BATON ROUGE — The U.S. Department of Transportation has loaned Louisiana highway officials $88.3 million to help fund a bridge connecting La. 1 and La. 415 and let motorists move between the routes without having to go onto Interstate 10.

The 2.6-mile roadway would be four lanes wide and include bridges over the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Its total cost has been estimated at $268 million. 

The idea to have the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development build the route has been kicking around for decades. West Baton Rouge Parish President Riley "Peewee" Berthelot said he has been pushing for this project since he took office in the early 2000s. Discussions about the proposed roadway have been ongoing for decades. 

"When West Baton Rouge made their master plan in 1962, they had a bridge at the 415 and it was going to head south after that. And then in 1989 the state DOTD did a feasibility study ... I picked it up in 2002 and we started doing some work on it and stuff," said Berthelot.

A federal highway official said the new route will also help during hurricanes or other disasters.

“The project is critical to improving resiliency and enhancing safety by providing a direct connection and evacuation route for areas south of I-10,” Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg said. “The new access west of La. 1 will also support regional economic growth for residents and businesses in this rural area.”

Construction on the La. 415 connector project is anticipated to start in late 2025 or early 2026. The project is projected to reach substantial completion in late 2028.

DOTD said it leveraged money from a settlement over a BP oil spill to qualify for the federal loan.