The Lafayette area has landed a $28 million federal infrastructure grant aimed at eliminating a nationally significant freight bottleneck at Kaliste Saloom Road and U.S. 90.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the award October 1 through its INFRA program. According to USDOT, Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government will use the funding to advance conversion of the existing signalized intersection into a grade-separated interchange, including ramps, flyover bridges and related roadway improvements.
The federal description covers approximately 2.2 miles of Kaliste Saloom Road and 3.5 miles of U.S. 90. USDOT says the project would eliminate one of the nation's top 100 freight bottlenecks.
Why This Intersection Matters
U.S. 90 is one of Acadiana's most important commercial corridors and is part of the long-planned future Interstate 49 South route. Kaliste Saloom Road also carries heavy local traffic through a rapidly developed part of Lafayette Parish.
Replacing the traffic signal with a grade-separated interchange would allow through traffic on the major corridor to move without stopping at the intersection while ramps and connecting roads handle local movements.
The award was one of 12 INFRA grants announced nationwide, totaling $426 million.
What the Grant Does — and Does Not Mean
The $28 million award is a major funding milestone, but it does not mean the entire interchange will be completed immediately. Large highway projects still move through engineering, right-of-way, environmental and construction phases, and the final schedule and total project cost can exceed the amount of a single federal grant.
Still, the federal award puts substantial outside money behind a project with direct implications for Acadiana commuters, freight movement and the future I-49 South corridor.
For Lafayette, the practical significance is straightforward: a busy signalized intersection that has long mixed local traffic with a major freight route is now closer to becoming a full interchange.
Source Notes
U.S. Department of Transportation, Oct. 1, 2026: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-invests-426-million-eliminate
