Federal investment advances City-led project to improve safety, business access, signals, pedestrian crossings, transit stops, lighting, and corridor flow along Siegen Lane
ST. GEORGE, La. — The City of St. George announced today that it has been awarded $19,247,698 in FY 2026 BUILD funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation for SAFE Siegen — Safety, Access & Flow Enhancements for Siegen Lane, a major corridor-improvement project focused on safety, access, and more predictable movement along Siegen Lane between I-10 and U.S. Highway 61/Airline Highway.
The project will improve approximately 1.35 miles of Siegen Lane by advancing complete streets components, including landscaped raised medians, upgraded signal systems, continuous side paths and pedestrian crossings, upgraded transit stops, and enhanced lighting.
The award marks a major milestone for St. George as Louisiana’s newest city continues building the capacity to deliver core public services and infrastructure. SAFE Siegen grew out of the City’s effort to identify practical, high-impact projects that match real community needs with available state and federal funding opportunities.
SAFE Siegen is designed to make one of St. George’s most heavily traveled and economically important commercial corridors safer and more predictable for people traveling the route and for drivers accessing the businesses that serve the community every day.
The existing corridor includes heavy traffic volumes, frequent turning movements, numerous business access points, limited pedestrian infrastructure, no pedestrian crosswalks at existing signalized intersections, limited pedestrian crossing infrastructure, minimal landscaping, no raised medians to manage access, and a posted speed limit of 45 mph. According to the grant application, the project area saw 1,803 crashes, 487 injuries, and 12 pedestrian crashes from 2021 to 2025.
“St. George promised residents a local government that would work hard and get things done. This is what that looks like: identifying the right project, doing the homework, building partnerships, and bringing resources home. SAFE Siegen is about making one of our most important business corridors safer and more predictable for the people who travel it and the drivers trying to reach the businesses along it. This award is a major vote of confidence in the seriousness of the project and in St. George’s ability to move practical infrastructure priorities forward.”
— Mayor Dustin Yates, City of St. George
The City pursued the federal BUILD award after identifying Siegen Lane as a major safety, access, and corridor-function priority. Mayor Yates traveled to Washington, D.C. earlier this year to advocate for the project and meet with federal officials and Congresswoman Julia Letlow as part of the City’s federal effort.
The SAFE Siegen application received support from a broad group of federal, state, regional, parish, public safety, transit, and local partners, including the Governor’s Office and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
“Governor Landry and DOTD were proud to support St. George’s SAFE Siegen application. The City identified a serious transportation need on this critical corridor connecting Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 61 and presented a credible, well-developed solution that earned federal funding. St. George deserves to be commended for advancing a project of this significance, and DOTD looks forward to helping move it forward.”
— LADOTD Secretary Glenn Ledet
“Improving safety and mobility along Siegen Lane will benefit everyone who depends on this major commercial and transportation corridor across East Baton Rouge Parish and the Capital Region. I’m excited that Mayor Yates and the City of St. George secured federal funding to make these improvements. This is a major victory for our entire community.”
— Mayor-President Sid Edwards
The project also includes an approximately $4,811,925 local match, anticipated from the City’s Capital Improvement Budget and subject to formal appropriation through the City’s budget and approval process. The current total estimated project cost is approximately $24,059,623.
“People who drive Siegen Lane know why this project matters. It is a busy commercial corridor with real safety and access challenges, and this award gives St. George the chance to move a practical solution forward. SAFE Siegen is about safer turns, better access to businesses, and a corridor that works better for families, workers, customers, and first responders.”
— State Representative Paul Sawyer
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with St. George’s leadership and our federal partners to identify and secure substantial funding for the Siegen Lane corridor which affects thousands of families, businesses, and workers every day. My work will not stop with this project. I will continue to work tirelessly to pinpoint future federal funding opportunities that will assist the St. George community.”
— State Senator Rick Edmonds
“Residents supports St. George because they want local government that listens, works, and delivers. SAFE Siegen is part of that promise. From our homeless initiative to SAFE Siegen, St. George is committed to creating family friendly spaces for both families and businesses and this transformative project will guarantee that Siegen Lane meets that goal.”
— Mayor Pro Tem Drew Murrell
“Siegen Lane is one of St. George’s most important commercial corridors and a key driver of the Capital Region’s economy. The City’s forward-thinking approach to investing in critical infrastructure sends a strong message that St. George is committed to supporting its business community. This project will improve safety and accessibility today while laying the foundation for continued economic growth and investment for decades to come.”
— St. George Chamber of Commerce Board Chair, Travis Thornton
“Our public safety partners respond to traffic crashes on Siegen Lane all too often, so reducing these incidents and keeping drivers safe has been a top priority. The targeted infrastructure investments announced today will help reduce crashes, improve traffic flow, and make this corridor safer for everyone who travels through our community. This is an important investment in public safety, and we’re proud to support it.”
— Chief of Police, Todd Morris
Business and stakeholder coordination will be a core part of the next phase. The City conducted preliminary outreach to businesses, property owners, corridor stakeholders, and elected officials as part of project development, and broader engagement will continue as the project advances into federal review, engineering, final design, and construction planning.
The federal award is a major funding milestone, but construction will not begin immediately. The project will now move through the federal grant agreement, environmental review, required public-involvement steps, engineering and final design, business and stakeholder coordination, funding-plan finalization, procurement, and construction planning. The City will provide public updates before major construction begins.
About SAFE Siegen
SAFE Siegen — Safety, Access & Flow Enhancements for Siegen Lane — is a corridor-improvement project focused on approximately 1.35 miles of Siegen Lane from I-10 to U.S. Highway 61/Airline Highway. The project is designed to improve safety, access, turning movements, pedestrian conditions, signal operations, lighting, and corridor predictability for drivers, businesses, customers, pedestrians, transit users, residents, workers, and first responders.