MAYOR CANTRELL ELECTED AS REGIONAL
PLANNING COMMISSION CHAIR
NEW ORLEANS – Mayor LaToya Cantrell today was elected to serve a one-year term as the Chair of the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) starting in January 2020. The RPC is responsible for the planning and programming of federal transportation funding for the eight-parish metropolitan area, as well as coordinating regional efforts around transportation, economic development and environmental planning.
“The Regional Planning Commission is a critical partner in planning and improving our city and our region’s transportation infrastructure. Whether it’s roads, transit, railways, the port, or the airport, the RPC leverages millions in federal funding opportunities for the entire New Orleans region,” said Mayor Cantrell. “I look forward to working with my fellow Parish leaders from across the region, as we continue to advance a transportation vision that delivers for our people and our economy.”
As chair, Mayor Cantrell will serve alongside the parish presidents of Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes, who also serve as officers of the RPC board, plus councilmembers and citizen appointees from each member parish.
“The Mayor’s leadership is vital to ensuring more regional coordination on transportation issues. Her Moving New Orleans transportation action plan established transportation priorities that inform our roadway infrastructure investments, creating safer, more equitable and more connected networks for the entire region,” said Laura Bryan, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Transportation, and a board member of the Regional Transit Authority
In just the past five years, over $182 million in federal highway funding has gone towards projects in the City of New Orleans. This funding has delivered dozens of projects such as the Fleur de Lis Drive drainage and reconstruction, the St. Charles Avenue repaving project, L.B. Landry Avenue repaving, and Lake Forest Boulevard drainage and repairs.
“Mayor Cantrell has a focused transportation vision for the region, which she has demonstrated through her attention to issues such as the RTA and regional transit connectivity and improving traffic safety,” said Jeffrey W. Roesel, RPC Executive Director. “Her leadership on these issues will complement the RPC’s ongoing work to improve our region’s transportation systems.”
Mayor Cantrell will chair the RPC’s monthly meetings starting in January, through the end of 2020.
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