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W e d n e s d ay, a p r i l 16, 2025
2025 LEGISLATURE TRANSPORTATION
Fed up with bad roads
Lawmakers consider sweeping changes to DOTD
$2.00X
Some La. students have visas revoked Move is part of Trump administration crackdown on immigration
BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer
in Baton Rouge and long-standing traffic problems on Interstates 10 and 12 as examples of projects that are “begging for addressing.” “I know that if we don’t do anything, nothing will happen,” said Rep. Travis Johnson, D-Vidalia, adding that in his six years as a member of the transportation committee, the project backlog “has not improved at all.” If House Bill 621 passes, a new Office of Louisiana Highway Construction would be created — not within DOTD, but under the Division of Administration, which functions as the administrative arm of
More than a dozen international students studying in Louisiana have had their visas revoked without explanation, university officials confirmed Tuesday, part of the Trump administration’s nationwide targeting of foreign-born students at American colleges and universities. In New Orleans, at least six international students have had their student visa status terminated: two students at Tulane University, two at Southern University at New Orleans and three at the University of New Orleans, according to university officials. In Baton Rouge, seven international students at Southern University had their visas pulled, as did three students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. An LSU spokesperson did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether any of its students were affected. The visa revocations, first reported by the Louisiana Illuminator, puts those students at risk of detention or deportation. Led by the U.S. State Department, the visa terminations are part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration to the U.S., which has recently expanded to include noncitizens legally residing in the country. Students who were granted F-1 or J-1 visas that allowed them to study at American universities have been targeted, in some cases because
ä See DOTD, page 4A
ä See VISAS, page 5A
STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Louisiana lawmakers are considering legislation to overhaul the Department of Transportation and Development. Staff writer
ä Car insurance legislation passes first hurdle. PAGE 4A
In an effort to pick up the pace of how quickly Louisiana builds and maintains roads and bridges, legislators are considering sweeping changes to the state Department of Transportation and Development — including creating an entirely new office outside the department to handle road work as well as privatizing many services. Over the course of a three-hour hearing Tuesday, House transportation committee chair Ryan Bourriaque, R-Abbeville, presented a package of four different bills aimed at overhauling the Transportation
Department. “We can acknowledge the department is unfunded,” Bourriaque said. “But we know we have issues with policies.” It was clear over the course of the hearing that significant pieces of the plan are still under construction. But all four bills were approved in committee as members voiced frustration with the pace of infrastructure work in Louisiana. Rep. Jeff Wiley, R-Maurepas, gave the example of a yearslong push to build a new Mississippi River Bridge crossing
BY ALYSE PFEIL
Massive 1,600-home community planned for Youngsville
PAGE 6B
the end of the year. A groundbreaking could happen in early 2026. The development is expected to take 20-25 years to complete, Bailey said. Plat approval will likely come in phases. “It’s a little what you might see in some of these Texas master plan communities that have bigger playgrounds and bigger amenities,” Bailey said. “We want to set ourselves apart.” Once approved, the Bailey Grove
ä See YOUNGSVILLE, page 4A
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Fortune Rd.
Milton Ave.
Lafayette St.
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walking and biking, Bailey said. It will also include housing units ranging from single-family to multifamily and independent senior living spaces, and will also feature spaces for businesses and restaurants and possibly a charter or private school. It would stretch from Decon Road to a strip of land adjacent to Detente Road. Developers for the project, which is still in the planning stages, hope to bring plans to the Lafayette Parish Planning Commission and back to council members for approval by
Bonin Rd.
The development, which will be called Bailey Grove, will be located on property along Chemin Metairie Parkway just south of the Youngsville Sports Complex and include about 1,600 homes and other amenities, according to Prescott Bailey, a representative for Young’s Industries who spoke at the Youngsville BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL City Council meeting Thursday. Staff writer Plans also include over 100 acres A 716-acre master-planned com- of ponds, several dog parks and munity is being planned for Youngs- playgrounds and green spaces, all ville, with development beginning open to the public and connected through a sprawling trail system for as early as next year.
Chemin Metairie Pkwy.
Chemin Metairie development could begin construction next year
YOUNGSVILLE Iberia St.
Savoy Rd.
Bailey Grove development Staff map
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