An outside firm will review the Louisiana Department of Transportation's practices, after Gov. Jeff Landry ordered a potential restructuring of that agency earlier this year.  

The Boston Consulting Group will review what may be amiss at the department and submit recommendations by October. The feedback will help department Secretary Joe Donahue prepare a plan on the department's reorganization which, per Landry's order, must be submitted by Jan. 15. 

"Prior administrations have ... tolerated the previous Department leadership's dereliction of duties owed to the Citizens of Louisiana, and failed to undertake any coordinated effort to address deficiencies or improve efficiency in the Department's operation," reads Landry's executive order that was issued in May.

Lawmakers announced earlier this month that they would contract with Boston Consulting Group to review the agency after holding a public hearing on its operations.

At the hearing, which lasted close to four hours, members of the House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works raised myriad complaints about road maintenance and construction in their districts across the state.

Lawmakers also told Donahue it was unclear what department funding is being used for and how projects and project schedules are determined.

Rep. Bryan Fontenot, R-Thibodaux, said there is a widespread negative perception of the department.

“This is what (people) relate their tax dollars to. They relate it to poor roads. They relate it to tall grass. They relate it to poor drainage. If we’re going to change the perception when you cross the state line from Texas and Arkansas and Mississippi that Louisiana is a good, fundamental state, it’s gonna start with your agency,” Fontenot told the top official of the transportation department.

Donahue said he welcomed lawmakers' concerns and agreed that, to a large extent, the negative perception of the department “is warranted.”

Boston Consulting Group's work is backed by Louisiana Coalition to Fix our Roads, a group of business leaders focused on fixing Louisiana roads, according to the coalition's website.

The coalition paid for an initial “information-gathering” phase of the analysis by Boston Consulting Group, which has studied other state transportation departments, Donahue said.

The coalition, which formed in 2017, consists of members representing various industries and interests, including roads and bridges, ports, trucking, goods and services distribution, tourism, agriculture and medical care, said its president, Erich Ponti, also the executive director of the Louisiana Asphalt Pavement Association and a former state representative. 

The plan Donahue has to submit to the governor early next year must detail private industry recommendations, existing efforts "to rehabilitate the department," an assessment of its current efforts to address problems, and plans for future reforms.

Under the executive order, Donahue is also on the hook to create an initiative called "Rebuild Louisiana" meant to increase funding for Louisiana's transportation infrastructure.

"As the legislative bodies responsible for overseeing and ensuring funding for DOTD, we believe it is crucial to be deeply involved in this process,” said Senate President Cameron Henry in a statement Monday. “Legislators are closest to the people, and it is our duty to engage now to ensure DOTD's future success.”

Donahue in an interview said he thinks everyone shares the goal of having an adequately funded department that provides a safe and efficient transportation system, and ultimately, any recommendations aren’t just about identifying deficiencies, but about securing funding for the department.

“As far as crafting the actual recommendations and the changes that the department will undergo, I think that does more appropriately come from public servants, and the Legislature in particular … (which) will craft the legislation that will fix certain deficiencies or inefficiencies in the next session that comes up,” Donahue said.