25 April 2007

sec'y kennedy takes dotd to task

click link for video
length 3m22s

sec'y kennedy was on ktbs this morning the topic of conversation was the louisiana state department of transportation and development and how dotd is falling down on their job regarding an unfinished portion of interstate-forty-nine near shreveport, louisiana.

according to sec'y kennedy, governor blanco signed off on a bill (hb654 - act 256 2005 regular session - see also house concurrent resolution 275 regular session 2006) to use the states unclaimed property money (which seems kinda shady to us, but if sec'y kennedy is okay with it we'll trust him and go along with it...for now) to back up the money needed to finish I-49. it never happened because sec'y kennedy says "well because dotd wont do it...dotd says that it supports this project, twenty-one months ago dotd came to shreveport it [dotd] stumbled all over itself to take credit for this, thats fine, but two years have passed and now they say that the bonds are too expensive to issue. too expensive compared to what? compared to the twenty-five percent construction inflation we have every year? you know i think that dotd just doesnt support this project and there comes a point where patience is no longer a virtue and i'am there. dotd either needs to sell these bonds if they dont know how to do it i'll be glad to show em or they need to identify another funding source and lets get on about our business of finishing these thirty-six miles of I-49 north."

sec'y kennedy says that dotd hasnt done the first thing towards getting the project going such as issuing an rfp. sec'y kennedy says that if dotd doesnt want to finance this project with the bonds -- that the state has a 30 billion dollar budget. sec'y kennedy says that dotd "needs either do this or they either need to look the people of north west louisiana in the eye and say we need to tell you the truth we really dont support this project."

be sure to click here and check out emily metzgar's 21 april 2007 interview of sec'y kennedy.
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Posted by wst... at 22:00

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