The current Bipartisan Infrastructure bill was amended by the U.S. Senate and now includes the expansion of the Congressional designation of Interstate 14 on a corridor across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. 

The I-14 corridor expansion would connect Leesville and Alexandria. U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), co-sponsored the amendment to the Infrastructure Package and expressed that the I-14 corridor expansion would be a positive thing for Louisiana.

Cassidy said: “Great news for Central Louisiana. An amendment passed which authorizes I-14 through Central Louisiana east-west. Important for Fort Polk, important for Alexandria, and important for economic development. Good news Central Louisiana.” 

In a released statement to the media, the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition (GCSHC) described the full scope of the I-14 corridor expansion that spans five states. 

The following excerpt from the GCSHC release states: "The I-14 corridor in almost all cases follows and would be an upgrade of existing highways. Starting in West Texas the corridor follows SH 158 and US 87 from Midland to San Angelo and Brady then runs east on US 190 to tie into the existing section of I-14 at Killeen. It then generally follows US 190 to East Texas, crossing the Sabine River near Fort Polk at Leesville, LA. In Louisiana, the corridor generally follows LA 28 connecting Leesville, Alexandria and Vidalia. In Mississippi, the corridor starts at Natchez and runs east following US 84 to Laurel. It runs concurrently on I-59 to Meridian and then generally follows US 80 to Montgomery, Alabama, Columbus, Georgia, and Fort Benning. From there it follows existing routes to Warner Robins, Macon, Fort Gordon and Augusta. Spur routes connect to I-10 in West Texas, at Beaumont, Texas, and at Gulfport, Mississippi."

GCSHC Chairman John Thompson praised the senators who supported the amendment for their leadership. He specifically praised Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA).

“The I-14 corridor will cover more than 1,300 miles. Congressional authority for new interstate highways of this length are very rare,” said  Thompson. “The leadership provided by Senators Cruz and Warnock and our other senators was essential to this major step in advancing Interstate 14 as a future corridor for handling freight movement, military facility connectivity, coastal evacuation and sparking economic development.”

Thompson also expressed his gratitude to community members and leaders across the five states and noted that this was the first step in a "decades-long" process.

For information on the I-14 corridor expansion, contact the GCSHC Communications Advisor Don Rodma at 361-877-0409 or by email at don@therodmanco.com.

This article originally appeared on Leesville Daily Leader: I-14 Corridor added to Infrastructure Package, would run through Leesville