It Costs Thousands to Drive in Louisiana, Study Says

by | Mar 30, 2017 | Transportation Infrastructure

It costs a lot to drive in Louisiana and that’s not because of a car note, insurance, or gas. According to a report done by TRIP, those who get behind the wheel in Acadiana are coughing up about two thousand dollars a year, on average. The statewide total is about 6.5 billion dollars yearly. Here’s what One Acadiana believes is the start of a solution to our state’s transportation dilemma.

Jumping behind the wheel of a car in cajun country is going to cost you.

“Each driver is losing about 2000 dollars annually because their driving on roads that are deteriorated, congested, and not as safe as they can be,” said Carolyn Bonifas Kelly.

It’s no secret that there’s an infrastructure problem in Louisiana with 26 percent of our roads in poor condition. But TRIP, a national transportation group, says its a problem that’s hurting our wallets.

“It may not be news to drivers to know that they are driving on roads that have potholes and that are rough, but what they probably don’t realize is that its having an impact on their wallet, and a fairly large one at that,” said Kelly.

It’s a problem that they say must be addressed soon.

“I think its safe to say in Louisiana, the state’s transportation system is increasingly deteriorated and congested and will continue to be more so unless additional funding is provided at the local, state, and federal level,” she added.

“What that means when you do the math is that with a small investment in our gas tax we can have better roads, we can have better bridges,” said Jason El Koubi, President and CEO of One Acadiana.

Either way its going to cost to fix things. One Acadiana’s Jason El Koubi says it doesn’t have to be so expensive.

“If we’d be willing to increase the gas tax the equivalent of maybe 15 to 20 cents a gallon that would cost your average driver maybe 100 dollars a year, you’re spending 2,000 dollars a year on unnecessary cost,” El Koubi explained.

He says because of the benefits the gas tax is a no brainer at this point.

“It just makes dollars and cents and you can spend less time in traffic and you can spend more time living, if we get smart about this stuff,” he added.

El Koubi says a study shows that the majority of voters in Louisiana support an increase in the gas tax if its going to roads and bridges. He adds that the increase will also help to fund the I-49 Lafayette connector.

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