The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), along with national, state, regional and local partners, are moving forward with the Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) process for the I-49 Connector Project.
Continue reading “DOTD Launches Virtual Reality Website of I-49 Lafayette Connector”
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), along with national, state, regional and local partners, are moving forward with the Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) process for the I-49 Lafayette Connector Project. As the historic preservation process and necessary survey, traffic analysis, and field sampling work progressed, the CSS scope was updated and contracted to continue the goal of achieving a project design that is affordable and acceptable to all key stakeholders and has the potential to become a community asset.
The Concept Refinement phase of the project is complete, and a refined alignment has been agreed upon with community stakeholders input and project partner approval. This includes the development of Evangeline Thruway to improve connectivity and provide access to I-49 from Downtown Lafayette and adjacent neighborhoods. In order to more effectively address the key CSS components of the mainline viaduct and urban design features, the former CSS Community Working Group (CWG) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) are being combined into a unified Advisory Group (AG) to provide a forum for the coordinated community and technical input for the CSS process. This process will focus on gathering input about various design features to help develop the I-49 Lafayette Connector Design Guidelines.
“Over the next several months, the I-49 Lafayette Connector Advisory Group will conduct a rigorous monthly workshop-based process to keep moving the project ahead with all appropriate parties involved,” said Secretary Shawn Wilson, Ph.D. “We’re looking forward to regrouping as a team to see the I-49 Lafayette Connector through to a final development plan.”
Within the next month, the DOTD will be contacting all key stakeholder groups to confirm representation and ongoing participation. For the public, an updated CSS process flowchart is available for viewing on the project website, while neighborhood meetings and public workshops are slated to be scheduled so the community can continue to be informed and ask questions.
The I-49 Lafayette Connector, part of DOTD’s Geaux South program, is a future 5.5-mile segment of highway that is a critical transportation link for Lafayette and the state as a whole. Geaux South is a $3 billion, multi-year construction initiative to convert approximately 160 miles of the current U.S. 90 corridor to Interstate 49 South. When completed, I-49 will extend from the current terminus at I-10 in Lafayette to the West Bank Expressway in New Orleans. Geaux South will support economic growth, improve access, reduce traffic congestion, and improve connectivity throughout the state’s transportation system.
DOTD and its Lafayette Connector Partners (LCP) team invite the public to attend an open house public meeting on Thursday, October 19, from 4:00-5:30 p.m. at the Progressive Community Outreach Center located at 125 Gallian Street in Lafayette. A Moderated Session will follow at 5:30 p.m.
Continue reading “DOTD to Host I-49 Lafayette Connector Open House Public Meeting”
If the Interstate 49 Connector through Lafayette is ever built, it will likely be elevated.
A committee overseeing the design of the planned interstate decided Friday to narrow down the options, casting aside the idea of cutting a path for the road below ground level and allowing local streets to pass over it.
Continue reading “I-49 committee goes with elevated design over submerged option”
Connect Lafayette, a coalition of thirteen community organizations, released a recent poll of registered voters showing overwhelming support for replacing the Evangeline Thruway / U.S. 90 with an interstate and completing I-49 South. The Connect Lafayette coalition, which launched in late January 2017, is made up of organizations and citizens who believe a thoughtful design for the I-49 Lafayette Connector will enhance Lafayette’s urban fabric.
Continue reading “Poll Demonstrates Community-Wide Support for I-49 Lafayette Connector”
I was disappointed after reading an Editorial published by The Advertiser on Dec. 22, 2016, as the hard work of citizens and DOTD was dismissed by a failure to present facts and instead peddled misrepresentations.
Continue reading “I-49: Far more than a standard interstate”
(LAFAYETTE, La.) – DOTD and its Lafayette Connector Partners team invite the public to attend an open house public meeting on Wednesday, November 30, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the Progressive Community Outreach Center located at 125 Gallian Street in Lafayette.
Continue reading “DOTD to Host I-49 Lafayette Connector Open House Public Meeting”
(LAFAYETTE, La.) – DOTD and its Lafayette Connector Partners team invite the public to attend an open house public meeting on Wednesday, August 3, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Progressive Community Outreach Center located at 125 Gallian Street in Lafayette.
Continue reading “DOTD to Host I-49 Lafayette Connector Open House Public Meeting”
(LAFAYETTE, La.) – Today, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced that, in consultation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), it will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) document for the I-49 Connector project.
By: Jason El Koubi of One Acadiana
In the community discussion around the I-49 Lafayette Connector, something that receives too little attention is the project’s substantial role in protecting our industry base and building a foundation for diversified economic growth in other sectors. Especially amid the current economic downturn, the Connector should be viewed as a central component of our area’s economic development strategy, supported by everyone who cares about a strong economic future for Lafayette and Acadiana.
Continue reading “I-49 Connector is Link to Stronger Economic Future”