§229.1. Statewide prioritization process for the Highway Priority Program

A. The legislature declares it to be in the public interest that a prioritization process for construction be utilized to develop a Highway Priority Program that accomplishes the following:

(1) Brings the state highway system into a good state of repair and optimizes the usage and efficiency of existing transportation facilities.

(2) Improves safety for motorized and nonmotorized highway users and communities.

(3) Supports resiliency in the transportation system, including safe evacuation of populations when necessitated by catastrophic events such as hurricanes and floods.

(4) Increases accessibility for people, goods, and services.

(5) Fosters diverse economic development and job growth, international and domestic commerce, and tourism.

(6) Fosters multimodalism, promotes a variety of transportation and travel options, and encourages intermodal connectivity.

(7) Encourages innovation and the use of technology.

(8) Protects the environment, reduces emissions, and improves public health and quality of life.

B. Beginning with the Highway Priority Program for Fiscal Year 2017-2018, the department shall provide the legislature and public with this program which shall list projects to be constructed in the ensuing fiscal year in an order of priority that is determined after projects selected pursuant to Subsection C of this Section are analyzed and prioritized based upon the factors set forth in Subsection A of this Section.

C. The projects to be included in the Highway Priority Program shall be selected utilizing a process based on an objective analysis that considers, at minimum, the following factors relative to the cost of the project and anticipated revenues to be appropriated by the legislature:

(1) The condition of the roads, streets, and structures making up the state highway system and the relative urgency of the improvements considering in their order of general needs. For purposes of this Paragraph, "condition" shall include but not be limited to the state of repair of the existing roadway and shoulder surfaces, structures and drainage, and other factors of the roadway, such as signs, signals, markings, and barriers.

(2) The type and volume of traffic on a particular segment of roadway, highway, or bridge.

(3) The crash records for a particular segment of roadway, highway, or bridge.

(4) The technical difficulties in the preparation of plans and the procurement of rights-of-way for a particular segment of roadway, highway, or bridge.

(5) Whether unforeseeable emergencies such as floods have created an immediate need for improvement or reconstruction.

(6) Whether capacity improvements are warranted due to population or traffic volume increases in specific geographic areas.

(7) Whether or not the highway or bridge is or will be on an evacuation route utilized to evacuate large populations due to catastrophic events such as hurricanes or flooding.

(8) Whether the improvement to or addition of a highway or bridge will benefit the economic development potential of the state.

D. Prior to selecting a project for inclusion in the program based on the factors set forth in Subsection C of this Section, the department shall screen all projects submitted for inclusion in the program to determine whether they are consistent with the most recent Statewide Transportation Plan and warrant inclusion in the program.

E. No later than October first of each year, the department shall make public, in an accessible format, the results of the screening and analysis of projects pursuant to this Section.

F. The department shall initially identify prospective outcomes of each program and report these prospective outcomes to the legislature and make them available to the public on or before June 6, 2016. The department shall evaluate the actual outcomes of each program and establish revised prospective outcomes of each program on a biennial basis. Beginning in 2018, the department shall report the results of these biennial evaluations to the legislature and make them available to the public on the department website on a biennial basis when the department presents a proposed program of construction to the Joint Highway Priority Construction Committee in accordance with R.S. 48:231(A)(1).

G. The department may consult with the Department of Economic Development when fixing the priorities of projects as required by this Section.

Acts 2015, No. 355, §1, eff. March 14, 2016.