VIDALIA — A delegation from Vidalia joined officials from five states in Washington, D.C., last week in hopes of improving local highway systems.

Leaders from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas went to the nation’s capital for the U.S. 84-El Camino Corridor Commission the week of June 9-13.

The Vidalia delegation included Mayor Hyram Copeland, Events Coordinator for the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center Jenny Blanton, Riverfront Manager H.L. Irvin and Vidalia Marketing Director Glenn McGlothin.

The purpose of the commission is to get money to four-lane U.S. 84, Copeland said.

“That gives us an east-west corridor going across our state,” he said. “That would give us a route going through our part of the state that would help us as far as industrial growth and shipment of goods goes.”

When completed, U.S. 84 will be four lanes wide from Brunswick, Ga., to El Paso, Texas.

So far, the area has received $9.5 million from the state for that purpose, Copeland said.

“We hope to parlay that with federal match money,” he said.

Almost all of U.S. 84 has been four-laned through Mississippi, but a significantly smaller portion of it has been done so in Louisiana, Copeland said.

“Only about 13 percent of Louisiana has been four-laned,” Copeland said.

Currently, there are five stretches of U.S. 84 with fewer than four lanes. They are from Ferriday to Jonesville, from Jonesville to Jena, from Jena to Winnfield, from Winnfield to Natchitoches and from Natchitoches to Many.

The Vidalia group met with Sen. Mary Landrieu, representatives from Sen. David Vitter’s office, Rep. Rodney Alexander, Rep. Bobby Jindal and Rep. Jim McCrery to discuss directing funds for the highway.

“We had some really good discussions,” Copeland said. “Hopefully we will see some additional funding.”