I-14 Potential To Enhance Central Louisiana’s Economy

Interstate 14 is a planned corridor that splits the difference between I-10 in the South and I-20 in the North, both of which are heavily traveled east-to-west bound highways. While there has been discussion and strategic plan, construction is estimated to be a decade away. The transportation project is expected to run from Odessa, TX through central Louisiana to Mississippi, Alabama, to Augusta, GA. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has included I-14 in the state’s transportation plan, but a spokesperson noted there is no funding set aside for the project, which is estimated to cost $7 billion.

The new interstate has the potential to enhance Central Louisiana’s growing clean energy industry and diversify the region’s struggling economies. It would facilitate the attraction of new manufacturers and significant job opportunities.

A Texas-based consultant, Don Rodman states, “You have limited capacity on I-10 and I-20, and as these next two or three decades go by, more population is going to need alternatives.” “Over time, it will become an integral part of the national transportation system that moves freight and moves people and does it safer.”

Texas has gotten a head start; a 25-mile stretch of I-14 has already opened near Killen in central Texas, and plans for expansion in 2026.

Louisiana’s limited east-to-west four-lane travel options make a new interstate even more promising. It has the potential to alleviate traffic on I-10 and I-20. Furthermore, if it reduces transportation expenses for Central Louisiana’s residents and businesses, this investment could bring significant benefits, regardless of immediate economic growth, For more information and the timeline on the new Interstate 14, click here