The update to the 1996 Statewide Intermodal Transportation Plan (SITP) is part of The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development's (LDOTD's) promise to its stakeholders to maintain a current, viable transportation plan that helps guide the investment of public resources in Louisiana.

In the summer of 2000, the LDOTD and a consultant team led by Wilbur Smith Associates embarked together on the task of updating the transportation plan. The existing SITP is multimodal in its approach, establishes measurable goals, defines objectives to achieve those goals, and was developed in concert with the citizens of Louisiana. The SITP has served the LDOTD well by establishing a foundation for the planning of Louisiana's transportation infrastructure as it enters the 21st century.

However, as time passes, conditions affecting the transportation environment change, and even far-reaching, innovative planning documents must be updated. Since the adoption of the SITP, Congress passed the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).

This legislation places more emphasis on accommodating freight movements, and using technology to make transportation systems more efficient. This is particularly important in Louisiana, where the efficiency of freight transport has a large bearing on the state's overall economic well being.

Louisiana's share of federal funding was increased through TEA-21, and the LDOTD wishes to use this opportunity to ensure that its level of infrastructure investment is sufficient to implement the goals set forth in the SITP and the Louisiana Master Plan for Economic Development (Louisiana: Vision 2020), Louisiana's 20-year economic development and strategic plan.

The Statewide Transportation Plan Update will aid in the continuing development of Louisiana's transportation policy and planning framework so that these goals may be realized, today and over the next 30 years.