Louisiana Funding Task Force Pushes P3s, Tolling and Borrowing in Addition to Gas Tax Increase

WWL reports on the Louisiana Transportation Task Force’s final report on improving transportation infrastructure. Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson, the task force co-chair, tells the station that lawmakers have to find new revenue sources to fund the $700 million in annual construction and maintenance expenditures recommended by the task force. Wilson calls a gas tax increase “part of whatever the solution is,” but he adds that the state will also have to look at bonds, tolling and public-private partnerships.

The Advocate (Baton Rouge) reports that the answers to three key questions will determine whether the Louisiana task force’s recommendation will become a reality.