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.
To involve more stakeholders in the CSS process, DOTD has created http://i49vr.com, a virtual reality “room” that allows the community to envision design proposals for the Connector.
The website features a VR scale model of the 5.5-mile I-49 Connector. Visitors to the site will have an overview of the Connector and the ability to zoom in on several proposed design features, including bridges, and the retaining and abutment walls. The immersive experience allows viewers to see how structural components like walls, barriers and piers could look with different proposed designs.
“The I-49 virtual reality website is an opportunity for all interested parties to have a more true-to life vision of the Lafayette Connector,” explains Secretary Shawn Wilson, Ph.D. “DOTD is excited to offer the public access to such an interactive tool. We wanted stakeholders in the Lafayette Connector to feel confident evaluating proposed design elements, and this technology is the best way for them to do that.”
The website is expected to feature heavily in upcoming LCAG workshops and neighborhood meetings. In the meantime, DOTD encourages the public to experience the virtual Connector by visiting http://i49vr.com.
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 Westbank Expressway in New Orleans. Geaux South will support economic growth, improve access, reduce traffic congestion and improve connectivity throughout the state’s transportation system.