USDOT grant to fund short-line rail infrastructure work in northeast Louisiana

The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding a $10.5 million grant to the Southeast Arkansas and Northeast Louisiana Multimodal Freight Corridor improvement project to help pay for needed upgrades to a short-line rail system in Arkansas and Louisiana, federal lawmakers announced yesterday.

Grant funds will be issued under the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program.

The infrastructure projects will benefit the Port of Lake Providence, Port of Madison and local economies by increasing capacity, efficiency and safety for goods shipped along the corridor, said U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy and U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham in a joint press release. All three are Louisiana Republicans.

"Louisiana’s economy heavily relies on the efficiency and safety of our freight-rail system," Kennedy said. "This grant will help improve the connectivity between the Lake Providence Port and the Madison Parish Port by funding rail infrastructure upgrades. These upgrades will provide local jobs in northeast Louisiana, and they will enhance the area’s economic development.”

Northeast Louisiana farmers use the railroads to get their crops to the Lake Providence and Tallulah ports, Abraham said.