Baton Rouge Seeks Help For Its Boom Town Woes

摘要

Katrina has become a double-whammy for Louisiana, heavily damaging New Orleans and turning Baton Rouge into an overstressed boom town. The influx of 400,000 hurricane evacuees has doubled its population since Aug. 29 and now strains existing infrastructure, or threatens to. City officials are pressing for a chunk of rebuilding funds being discussed in Washington, but the likely outcome is far from clear. Traffic gridlock is now the most pressing issue, officials and sources say. "The transportation system we had was already inadequate," says Eric Kalivoda, assistant secretary in the Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development's planning office. Vic Weston, president of Baton Rouge-based Tri-State Road Boring Inc., says the city is one of the few state capitals that does not have a surrounding loop road.