ENROLLED
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 117
BY REPRESENTATIVE PIERRE
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To recognize and commend the Department of Transportation and Development on its
centennial celebration of delivering a safe and innovative multimodal transportation
and infrastructure system.
WHEREAS, it is with great pleasure that the members of the Louisiana Legislature
have learned of the Department of Transportation and Development's one hundredth
anniversary; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation and Development has been and
remains committed to moving projects forward that enhance economic development while
maintaining safety and improving the efficiency of Louisiana's system; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation and Development's commitment is
evident by the many years of planning, designing, building, and sustaining infrastructure
needs of Louisiana citizens with minimal use of resources; and
WHEREAS, the history of the Department of Transportation and Development has
paved the way for a safe and reliable multimodal transportation and infrastructure system
from 1921 to the present with the Louisiana Legislature board approval in 1898; and
WHEREAS, in 1898, the Board of State Engineers was established to create a
uniform public road system; and
WHEREAS, in 1910, the state highway department was established; and
WHEREAS, in 1919, the budget of the state highway department was one hundred
and forty thousand dollars; and
WHEREAS, in 1921, the legislature created the Louisiana Highway Commission as
an independent state agency and approved ten maintenance districts; and
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WHEREAS, in 1922, the legislature passed a one-cent gas tax; and
WHEREAS, in 1926, the legislature deemed a two-cent gas tax inadequate and
recommended a four-cent gas tax; and
WHEREAS, in 1930, the legislature approved bond insurance for highway and
bridge construction; and
WHEREAS, in 1940, the Louisiana Department of Highways, formerly the Louisiana
Highway Commission, was established under the leadership of the Board of Highways and
a Director; and
WHEREAS, in 1948, the legislature increased the gas tax to nine-cent; and
WHEREAS, in 1953, the legislature diverted three-eighths of a cent of the state sales
tax to secondary, gravel and shell, road improvements; and
WHEREAS, in 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the Federal
Aid Highway Act of 1956 enacting the beginning of the Interstate Highway System; and
WHEREAS, in 1968, the legislature decreased the gas tax to eight-cent; and
WHEREAS, in 1976, the Department of Highways and Public Works was abolished
and the legislature established the Louisiana Department of Transportation and
Development; and
WHEREAS, in 1984, the legislature increased the gas tax to sixteen-cent; and
WHEREAS, in 1989, the legislature increased the gas tax to twenty-cent; and
WHEREAS, in 1998, the Department of Transportation and Development
reorganized to its current configuration of five offices under the office of the secretary; and
WHEREAS, in 2000, the first traffic cameras were installed on Interstate 12 in Baton
Rouge; and
WHEREAS, in 2006, the John Audubon Bridge construction was the first state
design-build project; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, the Department of Transportation and Development celebrates
one hundred years of delivering infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, the cost to repair existing highways to adequate standards is
fourteen billion eight million dollars; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, the current budget of the department is two billion and the gas
tax remains at twenty-cent.
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
recognize and commend the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development on
its centennial celebration and does express sincere appreciation for the many years of
planning, designing, building, and sustaining infrastructure needs of Louisiana citizens.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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