On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, who has worked to make Louisiana Highway 3241 a reality for years since he represented Washington Parish, hailed the Corps of Engineers decision to keep the project alive.

“Today was a major victory for 3241,” he said. “I’ve been pushing the Corps for a long time to get to this point and to ultimately get a permit in hand.”

Scalise brushed aside fears expressed by U.S. Sen. David Vitter and others that the highway along the selected Route Q would never be built.

“It was approved by the voters decades ago,” he said. “State funding is already in place for construction to begin. Ultimately it’s up to the state to do it.

“The state had basically said it could do all (the routes on) the final list. There were clearly some that were more preferred by the state, but all were accepted.

“The bottom line was, the COE could either deny or move forward. I pushed them not to reject 3241. They decided to move forward.”

The congressman said there is still work to be done, including environmental reviews and various technical matters, before the highway is built. But that is typical of the construction of any roadway, he added.

Scalise vowed to see the Highway 3241 project through to fruition.

“It’s not finished, but I will hold them accountable to a timeline,” he said. “This is a major victory.”