GONZALES — The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Tuesday that it will invest $2.3 million into infrastructure to benefit clean energy business growth in Gonzales.

The Economic Development Administration awarded the Ascension Parish government the grant for roadway improvements at the RiverPlex MegaPark, a 17,000 acre complex on the Mississippi River.

The grant, which will be matched by $587,000 in local funds, is expected to create more than 450 jobs and generate an estimated $9.5 billion in private investments.

"This EDA investment will increase growth in the clean energy sector, create quality, high-paying jobs, and increase economic opportunity for workers in the region," Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said.

The infrastructure overhaul project is funded under the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2023, which provided EDA with $483 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance Program funds for disaster relief and recovery for areas that received a major disaster declaration.