§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) Prioritizes above all else, transparency to the public and the accuracy of project delivery timelines, financial means, and the nature and scope of projects.

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

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

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

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

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

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

            (8) Encourages innovation and the use of technology.

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

            (10) Fosters reliability and efficiency of the state highway network for workforce development and workforce access purposes by considering and bolstering connection to employment clusters and higher educational institutions through integration with local roads, transit, rail, or other intermodal options.

            B. 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. The results shall be published on the department's website in a format that identifies submitted projects that were not included in the program.

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

            F. The department shall include in its annual submission of the highway priority program a detailed list of any changes to the previous year's program, along with an explanation of the reasons such changes were made. It shall be the goal of the department to ensure that at least ninety percent of its projects in the program progress as provided for in the previous year's program submission. The legislative auditor shall monitor the program and make an annual determination of the percentage of accuracy.

            G. The department shall consult with Louisiana Economic Development to understand and achieve site development goals when fixing the priorities of projects as required by this Section.

            H. The department shall provide a report on the status of projects included in the Highway Priority Program to the House and Senate committees on transportation, highways and public works annually.

            Acts 2015, No. 355, §1, eff. March 14, 2016; Acts 2025, No. 380, §1.