Louisiana U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy hosted his last rural community funding summit of the year Oct. 30 in Gonzales at the Price LeBlanc PACE Center, discussing infrastructure and energy in the Baton Rouge region.
Later in the day, he made stops on the west side of the Mississippi River in Addis and Port Allen.
“We have a partnership with mayors and other leaders in the capital region to use the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to meet the needs of this growing community,” Cassidy said in a news release. “Already we’re replacing gas lines in Donaldsonville and East Feliciana and reducing flood risk across the Baton Rouge area. This region is moving forward.”
Cassidy pointed out that Iberville Parish received more than $2.54 million and the village of Morganza more than $1.87 million to upgrade the natural gas infrastructure.
Additionally, it was announced last October that the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development would receive $88.3 million for the Hwy. 415 interconnector project to address traffic issues in the area.
He also recalled grant announcements for the Livingston Ward 2 Water District and West Feliciana, as well as $30 million in 2023 and 2024 to replace gas pipes in the City of Donaldsonville, $33 million for dredging and surveys along the Atchafalaya River and multiple bayous, $39 million for improvements to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and $100 million to launch a manufacturing plant in St. Gabriel.
“I appreciate Senator Cassidy coming to Gonzales to make sure that communities in Ascension Parish and throughout the region know how we can take advantage of his infrastructure bill,” Ryland Percy, interim mayor of Gonzales, said in the release. “I also appreciate his work to protect the energy industry that keeps people here and throughout the parish. That’s the kind of leadership we need in Washington.”
Cassidy later toured the Turner Industries modular fabrication facility in Port Allen, per the release.