Cassidy Hosts Rural Community Funding Summit in Monroe

MONROE - This morning, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) hosted his first Rural Community Funding Summit of 2024 in Monroe, to connect mayors, city council members, and other local officials in Northeast Louisiana with those responsible for distributing funds from his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

"My goal is for Northeast Louisiana to do as well as it possibly can," said Dr. Cassidy. "Working in partnership with local officials to get resources to fix infrastructure is the way to get it done. This returns our tax dollars to our communities."

Since its inception, over $9.1 billion has been distributed from the IIJA to Louisiana for various projects. In Ouachita Parish alone, millions of dollars are going to highway surface transportation projects, including over $3.4 million for US 80: LA 617-Ouachita River Bridge, over $2.9 million for Finks Hide-A-Way: Barkley-Bayou Oaks, and over $2.5 million for Lee Avenue: Jackson Street-Standifer Avenue. Cassidy's IIJA is also helping bring about I-20 corridor intercity passenger rail service, which when completed will run through Monroe, Ruston, and Shreveport to Dallas. Millions have also been secured to clean up brownfields and improve the Monroe Regional Airport.

Other notable grants for Northeast Louisiana include over $17.5 million for Mound Rest Area reservations in Madison Parish, over $15.2 million for two major surface transportation projects in West Carroll Parish and over $10.5 million for the Ouachita River and LA Highway 165 Multimodal Connectivity and Safety Project in Caldwell Parish. Other road, bridge, and Corps of Engineers projects are being funded throughout the region, and orphan wells are also being addressed.

Several federal and state agencies were represented at the summit. The summit was co-hosted by the Louisiana Municipal Association, along with the Mayors of Monroe and West Monroe, who thanked Cassidy for putting together the summit and sponsoring the IIJA.

"Senator Cassidy is a great friend of Monroe and makes sure we get our fair share of federal infrastructure dollars, whether it's widening roads, improving our airport, or building passenger rail that will connect us to Dallas," said Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis. "We know we can count on him to advocate for us. I appreciate the Senator's intentionality at making sure rural communities know that no matter the size of the community, they deserve this information and access to funding. And thanks to this rural community funding summit, our neighbors will also be able to enjoy the benefits of his work. We look forward to working together to make Northeast Louisiana a better place to live and work."

"West Monroe is already benefiting from Senator Cassidy's infrastructure bill, thanks to a major grant to boost our recycling efforts, and other communities can receive help with water, sewage and transportation projects, among others," said West Monroe Mayor Staci Mitchell. "We appreciate the opportunity to host this summit, to connect leaders throughout the region with the opportunities available to them. Thank you Senator Cassidy for your efforts."

Five more rural community funding summits will be held throughout Louisiana, including one on Tuesday at the Minden Recreation Complex on 1001 Recreation Drive, and another on Wednesday at the Leesville Event Center on 608 Nolan Trace. Both will begin at 9 AM. For more information, please contact Shawn Hanscom at [email protected].

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