Louisiana’s new transportation agency is quickly ramping up, and its first major task is fixing 62 small bridges scattered across rural parts of the state by the end of next year.

It’s the opening gambit for state lawmakers and Gov. Jeff Landry as they seek to accomplish what they argue the state’s lumbering Department of Transportation and Development has for years has failed to do — efficiently maintain thousands of miles of Louisiana roads and bridges.

Legislators this spring announced they planned to take “extraordinary measures” to prove transportation infrastructure projects can be done quickly, effectively and safely. With Landry’s backing, they created the new Office of Louisiana Highway Construction, an entity independent of DOTD designed to more swiftly fix minor thoroughfare

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