(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.

“This meeting is an opportunity for the community to review all the refinement concepts under consideration and provide feedback,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D. “We want everyone to be engaged in a meaningful way such that we can get this important project moving forward.”
The open house public meeting will include exhibits of the 19 proposed refinement concepts for the selected alternative as well as potential design modifications. Attendees can watch a continuous multi-media presentation, get handouts and speak with project staff about the concepts, modifications or any other project details. The general public and community/civic leaders are all encouraged to attend. Input provided will feed into the ongoing, multi-tiered concept evaluation process.

Comments are encouraged and welcomed throughout the current phase of the project, and can be submitted in person at the event either in writing or orally. They can also be submitted via email (comment@lafayetteconnector.com) or mail (Lafayette Connector Partners, Attn: AECOM, P.O. Box 3136, 70502), but must be postmarked no later than August 13, 2016 in order to be included in the official Public Meeting Transcript, and should include the commenter’s name and address.

Anyone requiring special assistance to participate at the open house due to a disability should send a request no later than July 27, 2016, to the one of the addresses above. Visit the rest of the site to review documents from the project library, sign up for the e-newsletter or leave a comment. “Like” Lafayette Connector on Facebook to be notified of upcoming events and activities.

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.