What rural Louisiana stands to gain from the infrastructure law

Residents of St. Helena Parish (LA) have long driven on roads that seem to cave in as quickly as they’re fixed. However, local officials are lauding President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law as a chance for change. Broadband internet and roads — two resources that draw frequent complaints in this rural parish with deeply-rooted infrastructure troubles — are key areas the massive bill targets. It holds $65 billion for internet upgrades nationwide, and $110 billion to refurbish bridges and roads. Recovery from Hurricane Ida, which swept through the parish on August 30, further illuminated an already-pronounced lack of internet access as residents struggled to communicate in the aftermath of the storm. “The goal for us is to have fiber in every home. We’ve been talking about all these other funding sources to do that with,” said Roderick Matthews, the parish’s emergency director. “But I think with the infrastructure bill having passed, now it’s like, this will probably be a reality,” he added.