NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Louisiana’s interstates are rapidly increasing in traffic but are among the fastest deteriorating in the country, a new report finds.
The new report from transportation research group TRIP comes as the U.S. interstate marks its 60th anniversary this week.
According to the report, 26 percent of Louisiana’s Interstate pavements are in poor or mediocre condition, the fourth highest rate in the nation. Louisiana’s Interstate system experienced a 43 percent increase in vehicle travel from 2000 to 2014, the highest rate in the nation.
The fatality rate on Louisiana’s interstates was the eighth highest in the U.S.
The TRIP report finds that the Interstate Highway System faces increasing congestion, unprecedented levels of travel – particularly by large trucks – and insufficient funding to make needed repairs and improvements.
The nation’s most critical transportation link continues to save lives with its enhanced safety features and is largely well-preserved, but an aging Interstate system will increasingly require more long-term, costly repairs, the report says. \
Read the full report here.
