Louisiana officials cut ribbon on $37 million Collins Boulevard overpass in Covington

State and local officials on Friday gathered in Covington to mark the completion of a $37 million improvement to the Collins Boulevard overpass on U.S. 190, a project officials said will reduce chronic congestion and improve evacuation capacity for St. Tammany Parish.

Governor Jeff Landry and Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Glenn Laday joined parish and municipal leaders, legislators and the project contractor for a ribbon‑cutting ceremony that officials said capped decades of planning and years of construction. Secretary Laday said the project delivered four lanes, widened shoulders, drainage upgrades and new traffic signals intended to relieve a long‑standing traffic choke point.

"This project is over $37,000,000 in investment, and we're happy to have that delivered today for this community," Secretary Glenn Laday said, thanking local engineers and contractors. He added that "on a typical day, approximately 50,000 vehicles travel this corridor," a figure officials used to underscore the project's traffic and safety benefits.

The governor framed the overpass as part of a larger statewide push. "This is part of a 62‑bridge package that the legislature put forth," Governor Landry said, and he touted what he described as a surge in private investment in the state. "We believe that by the end of the first quarter, we may have $100,000,000,000 worth of private investment in this state," he said.

Local officials said they had long sought the improvement. Sen. Patrick McMath said securing state funding for the bridge — $37 million, he said — required sustained legislative effort across administrations. "This project has been discussed for over 40 years," McMath said, calling the state appropriation "an unprecedented investment in St. Tammany Parish at the time." Rep. Mark Wright and Rep. Peter Egan also credited coordinated action by local and state leaders.

Covington Mayor Mark Johnson pointed to commuter feedback on social media and said the improvements are already reducing travel times. "Comments on social media ... cutting drive times down by 15, 20, 25 minutes," he said, adding the new route is also important as a hurricane evacuation corridor that serves the region.

Parish President Mike Cooper and Parish Council Member Larry Rolling echoed calls for continued investment, noting this is the first of four planned phases for Collins Boulevard widening. Cooper said the corridor connects to Washington Parish and that officials hope funding will accelerate the remaining phases.

Robert Beau, chairman and CEO of Beau Brothers Construction, the project contractor, thanked DOTD and the consultant team and described the work as a significant community investment. "When you finish a job that has the impact on the community that this one does, it truly is significant," he said.

What happens next: officials said the ribbon cutting marks the completion of the current phase and that additional widening and related work remain planned as future phases. Several speakers referenced ballot measures and broader fiscal priorities they said will affect future infrastructure funding; those proposals were described by officials but not voted on at the event.

(At the ceremony officials attached project credit and claims to specific speakers; the dollar amounts and traffic estimates in this article are reported as statements made at the event and were not independently verified.)