Page 54 - FDI Alliance International Magazine | September 2018 1

RuSTON, LOuISIANA

IS DRIvING GROWTH

THROuGH CONNECTIvITy

Ruston, Louisiana, located in the north central portion of the state, is creating throughout Ruston and has significantly and positively impacted their business.
opportunities and growth through various means of connectivity. Ruston is
Not satisfied with the status quo, when Ronny Walker took the oath of the Mayor’s
already very accessible due to our location in relation to national markets. The
office in January 2015, he made a vow to improve aging infrastructure, to further
City of Ruston sits at the intersections of Interstate 20 and Highways 167 and
improve Ruston’s quality of life, and to improve and expand Ruston’s connectivity.
33. Interstate 20 connects Dallas, TX to Atlanta, GA. Highway 167 connects
In January 2016 he put that plan into action. Mayor Walker provided his vision
Alexandria, LA to Little Rock, AR, and Highway 33 connects Ruston to the
for the future of Ruston that would be put into place over the next twenty (20)
Louisiana/Arkansas border. The Kansas City Southern Meridian Speedway
years, which included a number of critical infrastructure improvements. The
rail line also runs through the heart of Ruston directly connecting Shreveport,
vision was called Moving Ruston Forward (MRF). The proposed improvements
LA to Meridian, MS.
consisted of water and sewer upgrades, road infrastructure improvements,
Ruston has also increased the speed and connectivity in which our local businesses walking and biking trails, economic development projects, and a regional sports
can access the global marketplace. The City owns a 30+ mile fiber network complex. The cost for these projects totaled over $90 million, which could only
that offers up to 10 Gbps which translates into higher speed, higher capacity, be funded by adding an additional revenue source. Mayor Walker asked the
and greater reliability of data access. This system has significant commercial Ruston citizens to support a 3/4 cent sales tax that would be used solely to
value and is a substantial competitive advantage for businesses in need of high fund the Moving Ruston Forward projects. In April 2016 the citizens of Ruston
quality data transfer. This fiber network is offered to commercial businesses voted 69% to approve the additional sales tax.

54 FDI ALLIANCE | SEPTEMBER ISSUE 2018