Louisiana Roads In The Spotlight
Remember when you were a kid, and it was SO exciting to see yourself on the evening news? Maybe you were just in a background crowd or part of a big group, but it was still a fun occasion. As a state, Louisiana gets in the news often. Sometimes, it’s good things—such as our food, tourism, and outdoors. Unfortunately, Louisiana often gets attention for not-so-good things—such as our crumbling roads. Here’s a little coverage roundup of Louisiana’s roads.
- Last fall, Business Insider published a list of the worst roads in the United States. Louisiana is in the top 10. It cites our 25% of roads in poor condition, the $624 annual cost per drier, and 14% of bridges are structurally deficient.
- Consumer Affairs agrees, ranking the Bayou state even lower as the second-worst state for roads. Responses submitted to its survey included comments such as the “majority of streets and roads are terrible,” “potholes and patched potholes everywhere,” and “trash everywhere along the roadway.”
- Additionally, USA Today ranked Louisiana as one of the worst states for roadways. Its article cites specifically the statistics stating that 13% of our bridges are structurally deficient.
Local Louisiana
As Louisianians, we’re self-aware. Our own news sites often report on road conditions and problems. These articles and posts often give us real-life visuals and examples of the effects of our crumbling roads and bridges. Though New Orleans gets much of the attention, the issue is definitely statewide. From as north as Shreveport to all the way down to Houma.
- After the Consumer Affairs article was published, the Shreveport Times investigated further. The report concluded that Louisiana’s climate, in addition to inadequate state funding, contributes to our dire transportation situation.
- But it’s not only our roads getting bad press, but it’s also our drivers. MyArkLaMiss.com reported that Louisiana is one of top five states for speeding drivers. Obviously, we should always prioritize driving safely, but it’d be so much easier if our roads were in better shape.
- Like most New Orleans TV news stations, WWL reports on road accidents. It recently shared a story about a car literally getting stuck in a pothole on a residential street. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the car broke its axle and certainly caused the driver some headaches and frustration.
- Also on WWL, there was another, even sadder story. A neighborhood’s pothole was so bad that a wheelchair-bound woman fell into it. The fall gave her a concussion and fractured her shoulder. When street damage is affecting all residents—not only the drivers—the situation has reached a fever pitch.
- And we couldn’t put together a news roundup without mentioning WGNO’s Pothole of the Day.
So, What Now?
With all this gathered evidence, it’s evident SOMETHING needs to happen to fix Louisiana’s roads. Take action with our online form to contact your lawmakers to demand action! You can use our information or put in your own experience with Louisiana’s terrible roads and bridges—or share one of these news stories. You can even submit a photo or connect with us on social media. Find us on Twitter and Facebook and use the hashtag #FixLARoads.