I49 in LA

[Anthony_JK]

I support I-49 tolls completely. Nobody is forcing drivers to use US 90, there's the viable and fully capable LA 182 following US 90.

You do know that LA 182 is mostly 2 lanes throughout South Louisiana, right?? (Excepting the one-way couplet through New Iberia, that is.)

Most likely, they'll toll only the segments through Lafayette and possibly extend to New Iberia, as well as the segment from Raceland to Gretna; the remaining segments of US 90 will remain free. It would be political suicide to toll the completed segments of US 90 in Iberia Parish, especially since I-49 North was completed toll free.

[Henry]

LaDOTD has updated the I-49 North page on its website, with the page indicating that right-of-way purchase and utility relocation have been completed for Segments J & K, with construction to begin on Segment J (MLK Blvd.-La. 1) in the first quarter of 2013 and on Segment K (I-220 to MLK Blvd.) in 2014:

Right-of-way purchase and utility relocation have been completed for all sections

Construction Completion Schedules
Arkansas state line to La. 168, Segment A - Complete
La 168 to Mira-Myrtis Road, Segment B - Complete
Mira-Myrtis Road to La 2, Segment C - Complete
La 2 to U.S. 71, Segment D - Complete
La. 170 to U.S. 71, Segment E — Estimated completion: Spring 2013
La. 530 to La. 170, Segment F — Estimated completion: Spring 2013
La 530 to La 169, Segment G — Estimated completion: Spring 2013
La. 173 to La. 169, Segment H — Estimated completion: Spring 2013
La. 1 to La. 173, Segment I — Estimated completion: Spring 2013
I-220 to La. 1, Segment J (MLK Blvd.-La. 1) To begin Q1 2013
I-220 to La. 1, Segment K (I-220 to MLK Blvd.) To begin in 2014

Anticipated opening dates are as follows:

Opening for segments A-I are scheduled for the summer of 2013, leaving the final two segments (J-K) to be completed in 2016.

Everything still appears to be on track.

So LA and MO seem to be the most serious about completing I-49 to Kansas City...And now we await word on what AR (and TX) plan to do with their own segments...

[mcdonaat]

I support I-49 tolls completely. Nobody is forcing drivers to use US 90, there's the viable and fully capable LA 182 following US 90.

You do know that LA 182 is mostly 2 lanes throughout South Louisiana, right?? (Excepting the one-way couplet through New Iberia, that is.)

Most likely, they'll toll only the segments through Lafayette and possibly extend to New Iberia, as well as the segment from Raceland to Gretna; the remaining segments of US 90 will remain free. It would be political suicide to toll the completed segments of US 90 in Iberia Parish, especially since I-49 North was completed toll free.

I do know that, but it's still an alternative. Tolls do need to be placed on new segments, but it's not like there's no alternate roads to take.

[Anthony_JK]

Article in today's Advocate on the progress of converting US 90 in Lafayette Parish into a 6-lane "superstreet" with J-turns as a stopgap until I-49 South is funded:

http://theadvocate.com/home/4004902-125/left-turns-onto-us-90

[Grzrd]

This Oct. 1 TV video report has some interesting footage of a section of I-10 submerged by Isaac, which in turn is used to make the case for I-49 South.

[Grzrd]

LaDOTD is continuing ITS relatively torrid pace by tentatively scheduling Segment J for a November 14 letting:

Letting Date-2012-11-14
Project Name- I-49 North (Mlk Jr Dr-la 1) Seg J

In the letting of construction in the next 6 months LA DOTD has a job 455-09-0026 for 9/12/12 for signs and misc. for segments A thru D.

Both the Segment J project and the Segments A-D signage project now have respective December 12 tentative letting dates:

2012-12-12
I-49 North (Mlk Jr Dr-la 1) Seg J
Conc. New Pavement (Seg J)

2012-12-12
I-49n (Seg a - D) Signage & Misc
Const Permanent Signing and Striping Between Segments a and D

I believe both projects are fully funded, so revised tentative letting dates probably do not reflect money problems.  At any rate, the new dates coincide with Missouri's 12-12-12 I-49 designation.

[Anthony_JK]

Meanwhile, back on the bayou, as it were: the US 90 widening/J-Turn project is now virtually complete, with all 6 lanes now open; and LADOTD seems to be more focused now on getting I-49 South funded.

U.S. 90 stretch opens (Baton Rouge Advocate)

LAFAYETTE – A newly widened stretch of U.S. 90 opened Wednesday, expanding the heavily traveled route from four to six lanes for the seven miles between Pinhook Road in Lafayette and Broussard.

The $20 million widening project is the latest in a series of upgrades along U.S. 90 in an effort to bring the road up to interstate standards to serve as the southern leg of Interstate 49.

The portion of I-49 that runs through north Louisiana is largely complete, and the state plans to give more attention to the section from Lafayette to New Orleans, state Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Sherri LeBas said Wednesday at a news conference announcing the completion of the widening project.

"We are turning our attention very aggressively to I-49 South,"  she said.

The U.S. 90 widening project is on a section of the road that sees about 50,000 vehicles a day, LeBas said.

The project, which began in April 2010, also involved the redesign of several major intersections to phase out left turns onto the highway.

Drivers approaching U.S. 90 from University Avenue, Albertsons Parkway and Morgan Avenue will not be able to turn left onto the highway but rather will be required to turn right, travel down the highway and then make a U-turn to go in the other direction.

Traffic engineers refer to that series of movements as a "J-turn."

LeBas said the concept might sound counterintuitive at first, but J-turns have been shown to reduce accidents and improve traffic flow.

"It will make it safer for our travelling public,"  LeBas said.

It was also announced that LADOTD would resume design work on the I-49 segment through Lafayette (known as the I-49 Connector). Construction funding, though, has still not been found; I guess that they are still awaiting the toll study.

From the Lafayette Daily Advertiser:

More than $193 million has been dedicated to I-49 South-U.S. 90. Of that funding, the Jindal administration has invested about $120.9 million toward the completion of the I-49 South corridor, which includes U.S. 90. The total I-49 South corridor includes about 160 miles of roadway, of which more than 100 miles have been completed or are currently under construction, according to the department.

Next, the department will begin work on the design of the U.S. 90 and Ambassador Caffery Extension interchange. It has secured funding for both design and construction of that interchange, LeBas said.

It also will begin designing bridges and new roadway for a large portion of the Evangeline Thruway, where it has begun collecting right-of-way permits from Interstate 10 to Pinhook Road.

"The section from I-10 to Pinhook, what we call the Lafayette Connector, we are going to move forward with the design of that project. The estimated cost of that is $700 million to $750 million," LeBas said. "We do not have the construction funds identified at this time."

I wonder if that means that the CSS study they had started back in 2003, but halted because of concerns about the seperation between the twin elevated roadways through Lafayette, will be started back up again?

P.S.: The Advocate does not have a paywall; but the Advertiser does. If the latter's link fails, I apologize in advance.


Anthony

[Gordon]

Here is a link that has some info about the Elevated Evangeline Thruway. Cost estimates are $900 million to $1 billion for that portion.
Post Merge: November 17, 2012, 05:03:55 AM
sorry my copy didn't take.  http://www.theind.com/business

[Anthony_JK]

sorry my copy didn't take.  http://www.theind.com/business

I see that two of the comments there in that article revive the idea of a bypass around Lafayette as an alternative to the Evangeline Thruway corridor. Problem is, though, a bypass would be prohibitively more expensive, would require much more ROW takings, and would require a new round of enviromental and engineering studies....and would still require tolling anyway. And still, it wouldn't even begin to relieve traffic on the existing Evangeline Thruway corridor.

[pctech]

What constitutes the Evangeline thruway? Is it the U.S. 167/90 corridor south of I-49 to the Lafayette airport?

[Anthony_JK]

What constitutes the Evangeline thruway? Is it the U.S. 167/90 corridor south of I-49 to the Lafayette airport?

That's correct, from the existing I-10/I-49 interchange to the Lafayette airport....though technically, the Evangeline Thruway also extends along US 90 to just near Broussard.

[ShawnP]

I would think with the growth of southern Louisiana a bypass and a straight thru route would be needed. Of course I have no ideal to find the billions needed. Maybe we can put a extra tax on duck hunters?

[Gordon]

Buying right away and having most of it at ground level is it out of the Question?

[Anthony_JK]

Buying right away and having most of it at ground level is it out of the Question?

Yes, because of the ROW requirements and the need to maintain cross streets.

An alternative that would have kept I-49 at grade with selected overpasses was rejected for that very reason.

[Gordon]

I have not seen any plans ,Does not look that there is much room for an interchange at Pinhook RD. crossing. I read an article that they have a job panned for an interchange at Ambassador Cafferty in 2016. Is that the same as University Ave. By the airport.

[roadman65]

I was through Lafayette and it looks like a lot of homes and businesses to be demolished if I-49 was to be built in the median of US 90/ US 167.  I know there is eminent domain, but still that is a lot considering that corridor is heavily populated.  It would indeed divide the city when built causing other issues and it would then constitute and urban freeway similar to I-280 in East Orange, NJ.

From what I saw, a bypass would not help at all. Most traffic is local and only some is straight through. 

I did also see a service road being added on both sides south of the airport.  It did not seem like the roadway was being turned to freeway, just initial work on the frontage roads.  I guess this is only phase one of what is to come.

[Anthony_JK]

I have not seen any plans ,Does not look that there is much room for an interchange at Pinhook RD. crossing. I read an article that they have a job panned for an interchange at Ambassador Cafferty in 2016. Is that the same as University Ave. By the airport.

No interchange is planned at Pinhook Road, since traffic can be served quite adequately by the proposed interchange at University Avenue/Surrey Street. Plus, the recently built University Ave. extension includes a grade seperation of the UP/BNSF rail line, whereas Pinhook not only crosses at grade, but integrates the intersections of Jefferson St. and Dorsett Avenue with the crossing. Also, the existing Evangeline Thruway roadways will serve as virtual frontage roads for local access.

[Anthony_JK]

I was through Lafayette and it looks like a lot of homes and businesses to be demolished if I-49 was to be built in the median of US 90/ US 167.  I know there is eminent domain, but still that is a lot considering that corridor is heavily populated.  It would indeed divide the city when built causing other issues and it would then constitute and urban freeway similar to I-280 in East Orange, NJ.

From what I saw, a bypass would not help at all. Most traffic is local and only some is straight through. 

I did also see a service road being added on both sides south of the airport.  It did not seem like the roadway was being turned to freeway, just initial work on the frontage roads.  I guess this is only phase one of what is to come.

It would be somewhat divisive, especially in the portion between Willow St. and Simcoe/Third St's where there would be the most displacements, but the fully elevated feature of the freeway would mitigate a lot of the divisiveness by keeping major cross streets open, and allowing for full accessibility underneath the elevated roadway.

From approximately Simcoe St. to past Johnston St., the freeway would leave the Evangeline Thruway ROW and take on a steady curve just on the east side of the UP/BNSF rail line. It would also be placed at grade, but with depressed underpasses under both I-49 and the railroad at the proposed Second/Third and Johnston St. interchanges (both planned as SPUI's; the first of its kind in LA) and at the existing Jefferson Boulevard underpass. From Jefferson to Johnston, there would be fewer displacements because that ROW is a former train yard, but there would be some disconnection since Sixth St./Lee Avenue would be severed. The railroad grade seperations, however, more than make up for the severed access, and with three fewer at grade crossings, it may even improve access and noise due to fewer train whistles.

From Johnston St. south to Pinhook, the proposed I-49 would curve to rejoin the Evangeline Thruway corridor near Taft St.  It would pass through an industrial area and displace a couple of heavy businesses, but they could be easily replaced. South of Taft St, there is nothing in the median of the Evangeline Thruway, so there would be no residential displacements.

Also, north of where Evangeline Thruway crosses a spur line of the Louisiana & Delta RR just S of the Walmart entrance/Donlon Avenue, there is no residential displacements; however, the Lafayette Tourist Information & Welcome Center does exist within the wide median of the thruway just S of the Willow St. intersection. Since that is there only through a joint use contract between the city and LADOTD, however, it will probably be moved to a new location to make room for I-49.

[Anthony_JK]

Here's a markup of how the proposed I-49 Lafayette Connector would look like, as contributed by the Univ. of La.-Lafayette's Community Design Workshop in 1999 (when ULL was still the University of Southwestern La.; they changed the name the very next year):




If the image doesn't show up her, you can go here to see it:

https://plus.google.com/photos/106942937487510730137/albums/5812355753250450161/5812355762563522290

Original photo is here:

http://mpo.lafayettela.gov/projects/I-49connector/Map/CDWS_RR4.pdf

[Anthony_JK]

Well, well....seems like things are heating up as far as I-49 South are concerned.

Yesterday, Bobby Jindal had a presser along with LADOTD officials to announce that the 6-lane widening of US 90, just completed from Pinhook Road to Albertson's Parkway, would now be extended south to the Ambassador Caffery Parkway extension...and that the proposed interchange between US 90 and Ambassador Caffery Pkwy was on schedule for construction.

Quoting from the article posted today in the Lafayette Daily Advertiser:

Gov. Bobby Jindal made a stop here Monday to announce plans to widen and construct a new segment of Interstate 49 from north of Ambassador Caffery Parkway to Albertsons Parkway in Lafayette Parish.

The proposed extension of I-49 South announced by the governor actually will only cover a two-mile stretch of highway in Broussard. The cost for the work will be a hefty $90 million to $110 million, or up to $55 million a mile.

"Our investment in roads and bridges comes down to one simple thing – jobs," said Jindal. "A critical piece of transforming this region and our entire state for more economic growth is the completion of I-49 South. That's why investing and completing I-49 South has been our top transportation priority in this area since 2008."

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development officials said the massive expense of the project is due in part to some of the structural work that has to be done, including the construction of overpasses and frontage roads. That section of the road will also be made into the only "no access" portion of U.S. Route 90 in the area. There will be limited access at the beginning and end of the project, but the rest of the highway will remain open access as it is now.

Officials said currently some 35,000 commuters travel that segment of roadway every day.

"The project will be funded by bonding out the Unclaimed Property Fund," said Jindal. "We are able to do this because of a bill we proposed in the 2011 legislative session that gives us the authority to bond out those dollars. Now in order to do that, we needed legislative approval. I'm proud to announce that today the Joint Transportation Committee approved this proposal."

Jindal added that the contract for the project is expected to be awarded in early 2014, with estimated completion in early 2017.

More technical information about the proposed widening from the Baton Rouge Advocate:

The state announced on Monday a project to widen about 2 miles of U.S. 90 between Albertsons Parkway and Ambassador Caffery Parkway.

The work will extend a project completed last month that widened 7 miles of U.S. 90 from four to six lanes, beginning at Pinhook Road in Lafayette and stretching south to Broussard.

The estimated $90 to $110 million price tag for the new project includes frontage roads and widening the La. 182 overpass, said state Department of Transportation and Development spokeswoman Jodi Conachen.

More than 35,000 commuters use that stretch every day, according to figures from Gov. Bobby Jindal's office.

"It is the bottleneck for that area,"  Conachen said.

A separate $30 million project is in the design phase to build an overpass and make other upgrades at the intersection of U.S. 90 and Ambassador Caffery.

The work is part of the ongoing effort to upgrade U.S. 90 to interstate standards to complete I-49 South from Lafayette to New Orleans.

The construction for the widening project from Albertsons Parkway to Ambassador Caffery is not expected to be complete until 2017.

So, at least that's more progress than what we've seen in the past 5 years.

Still awaiting that blasted toll study, though....

[Grzrd]

^Steady progress in the Shreveport area, too...

The second round of Stage 1 Community Input Meetings for the I-49 Inner City Connector will be held in early December:

Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church
6:00 pm
1558 Buena Vista Street
Shreveport, Louisiana 71101

Wednesday, December 13, 2012
Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce
12:00 pm — Bring your lunch!
400 Edwards Street
Shreveport, Louisiana 71101

Also, Segment J of I-49 North is advertised for the December 12 letting :

Lead Project: H.003496.6
Lead Federal No. : 0021(011)
Parish(es): Caddo
Description: I-49 NORTH (MLK TO LA HWY 1)
Type: CLEARING AND GRUBBING, DRAINAGE STRUCTURES, SUBGRADE TREATMENT, CLASS II BASE COURSE, SUPERPAVE ASPHALTIC CONCRETE PAVEMENT, PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE PAVEMENT, PRECAST PRESTRESSED CONCRETE GIRDER SPANS BRIDGE, AND RELATED WORK

edit - as is the I-49 North Segment A-D signage project:

Lead Project: H.003516.6
Lead Federal No. : 0910(510)
Parish(es): Caddo
Description: I-49N (A-D) SIGNAGE & MISC. CONSTRUCTION
Type: GRADING, CONCRETE CAST-IN-PLACE REVETMENT, SIGNING, STRIPING AND RELATED WORK.

December 11-13 will be quality I-49 time ...

[Chris]

I was interested in the routing of I-49 through Lafayette, so I took a look with Google Street View. It appears a significant amount of homes in the US 90 median are either deserted or are in significant disrepair. A large number of lots are already empty.

I suspect it wouldn't be the most difficult thing to clear out the remaining homes and businesses via eminent domain, and get a decent right-of-way for an elevated freeway. It will give a major boost to the accessibility of central Lafayette.

[mgk920]

I was interested in the routing of I-49 through Lafayette, so I took a look with Google Street View. It appears a significant amount of homes in the US 90 median are either deserted or are in significant disrepair. A large number of lots are already empty.

I suspect it wouldn't be the most difficult thing to clear out the remaining homes and businesses via eminent domain, and get a decent right-of-way for an elevated freeway. It will give a major boost to the accessibility of central Lafayette.

It's sort of the same way on the proposed I-49 routing between I-20 and I-220 in Shreveport, too.  That large area of vacant land that is a couple of blocks north of the I-20/49 interchange is the site of a public housing project that was built in the ROW of the then cancelled freeway back in the late 1960s or early 1970s(I think).  That project failed (as most in the USA did) and the buildings were cleared about 10-15 years or so ago.  The rest of the I-49 corridor in that neighborhood is similarly 'spotty'.

Mike

[mcdonaat]

I was interested in the routing of I-49 through Lafayette, so I took a look with Google Street View. It appears a significant amount of homes in the US 90 median are either deserted or are in significant disrepair. A large number of lots are already empty.

I suspect it wouldn't be the most difficult thing to clear out the remaining homes and businesses via eminent domain, and get a decent right-of-way for an elevated freeway. It will give a major boost to the accessibility of central Lafayette.

It's sort of the same way on the proposed I-49 routing between I-20 and I-220 in Shreveport, too.  That large area of vacant land that is a couple of blocks north of the I-20/49 interchange is the site of a public housing project that was built in the ROW of the then cancelled freeway back in the late 1960s or early 1970s(I think).  That project failed (as most in the USA did) and the buildings were cleared about 10-15 years or so ago.  The rest of the I-49 corridor in that neighborhood is similarly 'spotty'.

Mike

I'm really hoping the state overbuilds I-49 through that stretch, since widening would be costly. Maybe four lanes in both directions from 220 to 20, and three lanes until at least LA 1 turns off to Rodessa.

[bugo]

I was interested in the routing of I-49 through Lafayette, so I took a look with Google Street View. It appears a significant amount of homes in the US 90 median are either deserted or are in significant disrepair. A large number of lots are already empty.

I suspect it wouldn't be the most difficult thing to clear out the remaining homes and businesses via eminent domain, and get a decent right-of-way for an elevated freeway. It will give a major boost to the accessibility of central Lafayette.

It's sort of the same way on the proposed I-49 routing between I-20 and I-220 in Shreveport, too.  That large area of vacant land that is a couple of blocks north of the I-20/49 interchange is the site of a public housing project that was built in the ROW of the then cancelled freeway back in the late 1960s or early 1970s(I think).  That project failed (as most in the USA did) and the buildings were cleared about 10-15 years or so ago.  The rest of the I-49 corridor in that neighborhood is similarly 'spotty'.

Mike

"Spotty" is RNC-speak for "African-American."