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[Grzrd]

Today's Texarkana Gazette is quoting a LaDOTD area engineer as believing that some of I-49 North will be open to traffic in 2012 (article needs to be purchased):
http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2011/12/06/getting-closer-21148.php

Miles of perfectly paved interstate stretch through the Louisiana countryside, a scene
made eerie by the complete lack of cars.
But that will likely change in just a few months as portions of Interstate 49 between the Arkansas state line and Shreveport, La., are expected to open.
I-49 will stretch 36.25 miles from Arkansas to Interstate 220 in Shreveport. From there I-49 is complete south to Lafayette.
Greg Wall, area engineer for the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development, believes some of the local I-49 will be open in 2012 ...
Beautification is also in the plans.
Shortly after southbound motorists cross into Louisiana on I-49 they will be greeted by a Louisiana-shaped bed of daffodils planted on a hill.
During a November visit small flags whipped in the breeze, already outlining the state’s shape, and daffodil bulbs had been purchased and retrieved from Mississippi.
The highway is also designed for safer travel in the winter. Where possible, I-49 in Louisiana stays on the ground and intersecting roads have overpasses.
“Typically when we have the major snow and ice events it hits Caddo Parish and Bossier Parish, so we don’t like bridges,” Hall said ...

I have previously read that LaDOTD was going to wait until 2013 to open an approximate thirty-mile stretch of I-49 North.  I hope Wall's comments indicate that they decided to open a shorter stretch before then.  Time will tell ...

[txstateends]

Are there plans at all for welcome centers on I-49 for either side (or both) of the state line?

[bassoon1986]

I hope they will because shreveport to texarkana is a long stretch with no facilities, except for maybe the Fouke exit.

[Grzrd]

Greg Wall, area engineer for the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development, believes some of the local I-49 will be open in 2012 ... I have previously read that LaDOTD was going to wait until 2013 to open an approximate thirty-mile stretch of I-49 North.  I hope Wall's comments indicate that they decided to open a shorter stretch before then.  Time will tell ...

Signing the finished sections early (which I support) keeps the whole project in focus and I think helps to fasttrack funding for the incomplete sections.  government:  "Gee, what's the deal with this gap?"

(above quote from "I-49 in AR (Bella Vista, Fort Smith)" thread)

Maybe Wall's comments indicate that LaDOTD is thinking about signing a stretch around the time that Missouri will sign its stretch (and Arkansas possibly signing the Texarkana-area stretch as I-49, too).  Nah, that would be too good to be true ...  

[US71]

I hope they will because shreveport to texarkana is a long stretch with no facilities, except for maybe the Fouke exit.

Fouke has almost nothing. No motels, an E-Z Mart and 3-4 restaurants. Maybe after 49 is completed, that will change.  They should be buying the land now while it's cheap. After 49 is official, I'm sure land prices will jump.

[codyg1985]

I hope they will because shreveport to texarkana is a long stretch with no facilities, except for maybe the Fouke exit.

Fouke has almost nothing. No motels, an E-Z Mart and 3-4 restaurants. Maybe after 49 is completed, that will change.  They should be buying the land now while it's cheap. After 49 is official, I'm sure land prices will jump.

I would be surprised if the land prices haven't already jumped in price. Along US 78/Future I-22 land prices jumped before construction finished. Now the areas are slow to develop because land prices are so high.

[US71]

I would be surprised if the land prices haven't already jumped in price. Along US 78/Future I-22 land prices jumped before construction finished. Now the areas are slow to develop because land prices are so high.

Quite possible. It would seem like there's a lot of potential for a Love's or a Pilot. Then again, maybe they have land, but are waiting to build.  Oddly enough, there hasn't been a lot of new construction along I-540 between Alma and Fayetteville.  Greenland is the only place: it has a small truck stop/McDonald's and a Sonic. But Between Fayetteville and Bentonville, it's becoming overbuilt.

[bassoon1986]

There is Puh-lenty of room for a truck stop anywhere from Shreveport north. I think developments could definitely happen. Blanchard, my hometown just 5 miles north of Shreveport has already expanded its town limits and there are new fast food places and small businesses popping up along LA 1 near where I 49 will cross

[lamsalfl]

Googlemaps.com now shows aerials of I-49 from the state line down to the Hosston area.  Also, south of there there are pieces of I-49 u/c but work barely started.  Isn't the whole thing in LA finished or well under construction?

[lamsalfl]

Also, if you look at the aerial map, on the LA side of the state line the dirt is a different color.  Maybe that's for a rest area, but there are no stub ramps on the road.  You'd think they would have built the stubs or the whole ramp system already and wait to build the building.

[Scott5114]

I wouldn't worry too much about the lack of gas for now. If somebody thinks they can make a buck putting a gas station along I-49 they will certainly not hesitate to do so.

[bassoon1986]

Googlemaps.com now shows aerials of I-49 from the state line down to the Hosston area.  Also, south of there there are pieces of I-49 u/c but work barely started.  Isn't the whole thing in LA finished or well under construction?

I think that every section has started construction except for the last 2 sections, LA 1 to MLK Blvd (LA 3194) and south of there to connect to I 220. Last I heard/read those don't have the funding yet

[mgk920]

Googlemaps.com now shows aerials of I-49 from the state line down to the Hosston area.  Also, south of there there are pieces of I-49 u/c but work barely started.  Isn't the whole thing in LA finished or well under construction?

I think that every section has started construction except for the last 2 sections, LA 1 to MLK Blvd (LA 3194) and south of there to connect to I 220. Last I heard/read those don't have the funding yet

Also, the section between I-220 and I-20 won't be under construction for a few more years.

Mike

[Grzrd]

I think that every section has started construction except for the last 2 sections, LA 1 to MLK Blvd (LA 3194) and south of there to connect to I 220. Last I heard/read those don't have the funding yet

Here is the current construction completion schedule for I-49 North (http://www.dotd.la.gov/administration/public_info/projects/i49north/):

Construction Completion Schedules
Arkansas state line to La. 168, Segment A, paving and bridges – Spring 2011
La 168 to Mira-Myrtis Road, Segment B, paving and bridges – Summer 2011
Mira-Myrtis Road to La 2, Segment C, clearing and grubbing, drainage, embankment and paving – Spring 2011
La 2 to U.S. 71, Segment D, clearing and grubbing, drainage, embankment and paving – Spring 2012
La. 170 to U.S. 71, Segment E, clearing and grubbing, drainage, embankment and paving – Spring 2013
La. 530 to La. 170, Segment F, clearing and grubbing, drainage, embankment and paving – Spring 2013
La 530 to La 169, Segment G, clearing and grubbing, drainage, embankment and paving – Spring 2013
La. 173 to La. 169, Segment H, clearing and grubbing, drainage, embankment and paving – Fall 2011
La. 1 to La. 173, Segment I, clearing and grubbing, drainage, embankment and paving – Spring 2013
I-220 to La. 1, Segments J-K, clearing and grubbing, drainage, embankment and paving – TBD pending funding

Funding has been secured for Segments J and K, with construction on Segment J expected to begin in 2012 and Segment K in 2013:
http://www.dotd.la.gov/pressreleases/release.aspx?key=1759
These two Segments are expected to be completed in 2016.

Today's Texarkana Gazette is quoting a LaDOTD area engineer as believing that some of I-49 North will be open to traffic in 2012 (article needs to be purchased):
http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2011/12/06/getting-closer-21148.php
"... Greg Wall, area engineer for the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development, believes some of the local I-49 will be open in 2012 ...

I am guessing that the above comment from Greg Wall indicates that LaDOTD will open Segments B,C, and D to traffic in 2012 once Segment D is completed.  Otherwise, LaDOTD will probably wait to open Segments B-I to traffic in 2013 (Segment A will need to wait for Arkansas to complete its segment to the state line).

Also, the section between I-220 and I-20 won't be under construction for a few more years.

Today's Shreveport Times indicates that three public forums regarding the Inner-City Connector are being held this week, and that completion of the Inner-City Connector is 15-20 years away, if at all:
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20111213/OPINION03/112130338/Public-necessary-element-49-planning-meetings?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

Another series of forums will begin tonight to determine whether an inner-city connector for Interstate 49 is necessary and, if so, where specifically it should run.
The highway would extend from I-49's current ending point at the intersection with I-20 and head north toward I-220 where I-49 North will eventually connect.
With the Stage 0 feasibility study behind it, Stage 1 analyzes the potential effect the I-49 connector could have. Construction typically does not begin until Stage 5. If the decision to build is made, the cost could run between $100 million and $289 million, and realistically could be 15-20 years away from reality ...

EDIT

Here's a link to a TV news video report on the Inner-City Connector public forums:
http://www.ktbs.com/first-news/29984506/detail.html

[UptownRoadGeek]

Some photos of I-49's progress if anyone cares to go look.
http://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=79.325

[Grzrd]

Here's a link to a TV news video report on the Inner-City Connector public forums:
http://www.ktbs.com/first-news/29984506/detail.html

Here's a link to another TV news video report from the same station regarding the Inner-City Connector ("ICC") meetings that I found interesting because it has two community leaders from the Allendale/Ledbetter Heights community speaking in favor of the general notion of the ICC:
http://www.ktbs.com/news/29982400/detail.html

[Grzrd]

Some photos of I-49's progress if anyone cares to go look.
http://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=79.325

Who took those pictures?

DOTD

(above quote from "Louisiana" thread on Southeast page)
Here's a link to LaDOTD's I-49 North Facebook page, on which 34 new photos were posted in November:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-49-North/173375266084410

[Anthony_JK]

Here's a link to a TV news video report on the Inner-City Connector public forums:
http://www.ktbs.com/first-news/29984506/detail.html

Here's a link to another TV news video report from the same station regarding the Inner-City Connector ("ICC") meetings that I found interesting because it has two community leaders from the Allendale/Ledbetter Heights community speaking in favor of the general notion of the ICC:
http://www.ktbs.com/news/29982400/detail.html

That's not too surprising, since the original low-income development in Allendale that was such a factor in blocking the original proposal in the late 70's no longer exists, and most community leaders in the Allendale/Ledbetter Heights subs have changed their minds since then in favor of the ICC.

BTW..that editorial in the Shreveport Times seemed a bit off, since there are NO plans whatsoever for a "parkway" connection as a "low-biuild" alternative to the ICC. The plans are for a fully controlled-access freeway that would be either fully elevated or a mix of elevated and at-grade. I'd probably favor the latter, since it would be less expensive.

Also, that editorial hinted at funding of the ICC interfering with funding of the rest of I-49 North from I-220 to the AR border. That's wrong, since except for Segment K (from I-220 to Martin Luther King Drive), all the segments are fully funded and on schedule for construction, already under construction, or completed...and Seg. K will probably get theirs when (if) the next transportation reauthorization bill is passed on by Congress.


Anthony

[Grzrd]

A consulting report was released yesterday indicating that tolls on I-49 through Lafayette would make the project economically feasible:
http://theadvocate.com/home/1558259-125/tolls-eyed-as-revenue-source.html

Tolls could likely generate enough revenue to pay half the cost of completing Interstate 49 through Lafayette, enough to make the long-delayed project economically feasible, according to a consulting firm hired to research the project.
Tolls of 16 cents per mile for passenger vehicles and four times that for commercial trucks could provide enough annual revenue to secure financing ranging from $540 million to $725 million, according to a preliminary traffic study by HNTB, a national consulting firm that specializes in transportation projects.
The firm, which presented its findings Tuesday, has been working with the Lafayette Metropolitan Expressway Commission to determine whether tolls could help fund the upgrade of U.S. 90 to interstate standards through Lafayette.
“This is a very, very, very feasible project. It is possible. It can be done. It’s just a matter of whether we can sell it to the public as a toll facility or not,” said Kam Movassaghi, president Lafayette consulting firm Fenstermaker, which is also working on the project.
The toll-backed financing represents about half of the estimated $1 billion to $1.4 billion needed to complete I-49 through Lafayette, an estimate that depends on how far south the highway upgrade would go.
Much of that is for the elevated portion through the city of Lafayette.
Even with the toll revenue, the funding gap would be about $500 million, but that is not unusual for toll projects, HNTB Chief Financial Consultant Brad Guilmino said.
“You are not going to find a toll project in America that is 100 percent feasible,” he said.
In other toll projects, the funding gap is usually filled through federal grants, local taxes, federal loans, state transportation dollars or a combination of those sources, Guilmino said.
The I-49 toll idea is still in the early stages and the study by HNTB is considered a first step in determining whether the concept is worth pursuing ...
The HNTB study looked at two scenarios for toll-funded upgrades of U.S. 90, one from Interstate 10 in Lafayette to La. 88 near the Acadiana Regional Airport and the other farther south through Iberia Parish.
The first option is estimated to cost from $1 billion to $1.2 billion, and the second option is estimated to cost from $1.2 to $1.4 million, according to a preliminary analysis by HNTB.
The steep price tag has long been a roadblock for completing I-49 south, which traffic officials say is needed to address ever increasing numbers of commuters moving in and out of Lafayette...

[Anthony_JK]

There's a part of me that says that not only will this not fly because of the traditional opposition to tolls here in South LA, but that this will revive the original opposition to the I-49 Connector through Lafayette and renew the calls for a bypass alignment...most notably, the Teche Ridge easten bypass through St. Martin Parish.

On the other hand, though...the majority opinion will probably be that if that's what it takes to build the road, then let's roll with it.

Still, I'm sure that there will be those who will grumble about how North Louisiana got to get their portions of I-49 North funded for free with stimulus dollars, while Acadiana has to fork over the tolls for what they believe to be a far more important and just as badly needed segment.

But, I guess that we all will have to wait and see how the locals will react.

If they do decide to go with the toll option, I'm guessing that the segment through Lafayette will remain toll free between I-10 and the airport, and that the toll segment will begin just south of that, through Broussard and just south of there. If that is the case, I'd favor extending the tolls to New Iberia and extending the one-way access roads from LA 88 down to at least LA 14 (similar to the Sam Houston Tollway/Beltway 8 setup in Houston, with US 90 using the access roads and I-49 the mainline).

Anthony

[UptownRoadGeek]

Well the comment session for the Lafayette Advertiser seems to be full of people in favor of the toll. I know that comes nowhere close to speaking for an entire city, but usually newspapers comments are full of opposition even when the city tends to support an issue.

[Grzrd]

Also, the section between I-220 and I-20 won't be under construction for a few more years.

Today's Shreveport Times indicates that three public forums regarding the Inner-City Connector are being held this week, and that completion of the Inner-City Connector is 15-20 years away, if at all:
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20111213/OPINION03/112130338/Public-necessary-element-49-planning-meetings?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

This article indicates that it will be Winter 2013 before Providence Engineering, among other things, incorporates public comments from the three recent public forums and issues its Stage 1 report (seems like North Louisiana can experience a glacial pace, too):
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20111214/NEWS01/112140321/Interstate-meeting-left-some-questions-part-process?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

The first of three meetings, designed to gather input on a future Interstate 49 expansion, left some participants with questions and others with a sense they've participated in the future of Shreveport ...
The area in question Tuesday is a 3.9-mile stretch that would affect areas such as Allendale and the MLK neighborhood.
Kent Rodgers, executive director of the sponsoring organization, said input from the meeting would be used by the engineers when making considerations on how the freeway could look, should it be built.
Among the decisions participants had to consider was where to place the freeway within a 1,000-foot space, what structure the team should consider when planning and the environmental costs.
This is stage 1 in a process that goes from stage 0 to stage 6. The entire process would take 10 to 15 years to complete.
Darius Bonton, project manager for Providence Engineering, said once the information was collected from the three meetings, his firm would take them in consideration when making plans. It will be winter 2013 before they would be presented to the public, he said.
"The more input we get, the more we can incorporate it," he said ...

EDIT

Still, I'm sure that there will be those who will grumble about how North Louisiana got to get their portions of I-49 North funded for free with stimulus dollars, while Acadiana has to fork over the tolls for what they believe to be a far more important and just as badly needed segment.

You called it:
http://www.iberianet.com/opinion/editorials/more-attention-on-i--north/article_88e13c24-2735-11e1-8eb2-0019bb2963f4.html

Another pitch has been made for tolls to pay for much of the southern portion of Interstate 49 through Lafayette that will connect U.S. 90 to the Houma-Thibodaux area.
Although it is encouraging that such a project appears to be feasible if the toll is used, it is a bit discouraging that the state has given so much more attention to I-49 north in the Shreveport area and it is being contructed without the need of tolls ...
So why so much attention on North Louisiana and seemingly not enough here? ...
The route north of Shreveport is rural. There is little to no development along much of the route. Certainly it will be an economic boon to that region.
But what about here? ...
The question, however, lingers as to why over the past several years has the northern section of I-49 gotten an advantage over the southern portion?

[mgk920]

^^
Ahhh, it was the easiest and cheapest section to build first?

Mike

[Grzrd]

Today's Texarkana Gazette is quoting a LaDOTD area engineer as believing that some of I-49 North will be open to traffic in 2012 (article needs to be purchased):
http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2011/12/06/getting-closer-21148.php
Miles of perfectly paved interstate stretch through the Louisiana countryside, a scene
made eerie by the complete lack of cars.
But that will likely change in just a few months as portions of Interstate 49 between the Arkansas state line and Shreveport, La., are expected to open...
Greg Wall, area engineer for the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development, believes some of the local I-49 will be open in 2012 ...

No surprise 2012 I-49 North early opening from LaDOTD; I emailed LaDOTD about a possible 2012 opening and they responded that pavement will be complete on the project in 2012 [I presume the email was referring to Segments A-D], but that it will not be open to traffic until 2013.  This info is consistent with prior information from LaDOTD, but a Segment B-D 2012 opening would have been nice.

[Grzrd]

Funding has been secured for Segments J and K, with construction on Segment J expected to begin in 2012 and Segment K in 2013:
http://www.dotd.la.gov/pressreleases/release.aspx?key=1759
These two Segments are expected to be completed in 2016.

The July 7, 2011 press release linked above states that construction on Segment J could begin as early as Summer 2012.  I communicated with LaDOTD yesterday and the current estimate is that the letting will be in Fall 2012.  Maybe some clearing and grubbing by the New Year?