Designates Interstate 49 as "Senator J. Bennett Johnston Jr. Memorial Highway". (8/1/26) (EG +$4,500 SG EX See Note)

Senate Bill 24 designates the entirety of Interstate 49 within Louisiana as "Senator J. Bennett Johnston Jr. Memorial Highway." The legislation amends state highway law by creating a new official designation for this interstate corridor, which extends northward from its intersection with Interstate 10 in Lafayette Parish through the remainder of the state. The bill mandates that the Department of Transportation and Development erect and maintain signage reflecting this designation, but conditions the department's obligation to install and maintain such signs on receipt of local or private funding that covers the actual costs of materials, fabrication, mounting posts, and installation, with each sign capped at two thousand two hundred fifty dollars in reimbursable costs.

The practical effect of this legislation falls primarily on the Department of Transportation and Development, which gains a directive to implement and maintain the memorial highway signage but faces a significant financial protection mechanism. Local governments, regional entities, and private organizations that wish to honor Senator Johnston through this designation must provide the necessary funding for signage; the department will not bear these costs from its general budget. Travelers and the public will encounter signage along Interstate 49 identifying it by this memorial name, provided that adequate local or private funding materializes. The financial constraint effectively shifts the burden of implementation to those entities or communities that prioritize the memorial designation.

This legislation operates within Louisiana's established framework for state highway designations and naming conventions. The bill's introductory language references "state highways" and operates in the context of the Department of Transportation and Development's statutory authority over Louisiana's road infrastructure. The cost-restriction mechanism represents a departure from typical state-funded highway improvements, instead leveraging a public-private funding model to accomplish the designation. The August 1, 2026 effective date allows sufficient time for DOTD to establish procedures for receiving and accounting for reimbursements from local and private sources before implementation must commence.