DOTD has about two weeks left to draft its initial plans for a proposed passenger rail line between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Act 764, which lawmakers passed last year, calls for DOTD to prepare the scope, schedule and budget to secure all necessary approvals and permits to begin the passenger rail service. The act further states DOTD shall provide those plans to the legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee before the April 10 start of the 2023 regular session.
The Joint Transportation Committee met earlier this week but did not have the rail project on its agenda and seemed to be mostly unaware of the looming deadline.
DOTD Secretary Eric Kalivoda spent most of the meeting presenting updates on other projects, such as the Interstate 10 widening in Baton Rouge. It wasn’t until members of the Sierra Club mentioned the deadline in their testimony that some lawmakers learned the committee would have to meet again before the session opens in 19 days.
Joint Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick McMath of Covington asked DOTD officials to help him review video of Monday’s testimony to make note of information the Sierra Club requested. McMath said he wanted to see if they could address every item for that next meeting.
DOTD officials told lawmakers they were planning to file a request later that day to have the committee meeting scheduled.
