I49 in LA

[cjk374]

I encourage us to embrace the really fascinating challenges which can come along with the removal of obsolete freeways like the Claiborne Expressway. It becomes a really interesting discussion of how to re-sign, how to re-route, how to reimagine infrastructure.

Is Claiborne Expressway really obsolete?  I can't say I have driven there, but...it's I-10.  If I'm wrong, please lemme know.

Same for I-49. While I love the theoretical continuity of building I-49 right through the heart of Lafayette, it's so much more important that Lafayette be allowed to be a place... not just a background for a freeway.

Lafayette is a place...it is the capital of cajun country!  It has its own personality.  It's the people who live in any city or town that give the personality...or ambiance...to a city or town. A highway is there to get people in and out efficiently and quickly.

Important things don't belong under freeways; pedestrians don't use pedestrian bridges if there's not a compelling reason to walk among walkable environments.

Pedestrians uses pedestrian bridges so that they may live and continue to walk in their environments.

New Urbanists aren't anti-freeway, just as roadgeeks aren't anti-pedestrian.  Freeways should be awesome freeways; city streets should be awesome city streets. We've just got to figure out what really belongs where.

I didn't know anyone was confused about where to put highways, walkways, and everything in between.  Again, it is the people who create the environment that will create jobs & a walkable environment.  It is also the people who can create a decaying neighborhood that will not create jobs or anything positive about the community.  It is up to the people of the community to determine what kind of environment they live in.

[jbnv]

While I love the theoretical continuity of building I-49 right through the heart of Lafayette, it's so much more important that Lafayette be allowed to be a place... not just a background for a freeway.

Lafayette is a place...it is the capital of cajun country!  It has its own personality.  It's the people who live in any city or town that give the personality...or ambiance...to a city or town. A highway is there to get people in and out efficiently and quickly.

And this particular highway will serve to move people who are already going somewhere else. I'd actually favor an approach that makes I-49 an express route through town and directs all local traffic onto Evangeline Thruway.

The corridor that will take I-49 through Lafayette already needs redevelopment. Lafayette already has a "black-white" divide that almost corresponds to the I-49 corridor (I'd put it at University Ave). I-49 won't create what is already there. And yes, the corridor can benefit from a revitalization. If such a renewal fails to happen, it won't be because I-49 was built.

I didn't know anyone was confused about where to put highways, walkways, and everything in between.  Again, it is the people who create the environment that will create jobs & a walkable environment.  It is also the people who can create a decaying neighborhood that will not create jobs or anything positive about the community.  It is up to the people of the community to determine what kind of environment they live in.

[Anthony_JK]

I respect your opinion as I do your right to state it, mwb, but I have to disagree with some of your points.


First off, while removing freeways from inner cities to promote economic development and infill might sound like a wonderful idea from an asthetic viewpoint, you still have to deal with how the people who actually use those freeways will have to adjust. It's not nearly as simple as plopping a light rail line along a surface street and calling it a day.


I'd hardly call the Claiborne Elevated "obsolete"; it is the main artery connecting downtown NOLA, the French Quarter, and the Superdome to the eastern portions of NOLA, Slidell, and points eastward. Over 100K people use it for commuting every day. Imagine that on a 4-lane surface Claiborne Blvd, and you'll see why I'm opposed to removing the freeway.


Secondly...the I-49 Connector mostly avoids downtown; it runs on the Evangeline Thruway corridor for most of its length, separated from downtown by the BNSF/UP rail line. In fact, the proposed freeway will improve access between downtown and the eastern sections of Lafayette by converting at least three at-grade rail crossings to grade separations, along with improvements to the existing Jefferson St. underpass as well.


Finally, the I-49 Corridor Study funded by the TIGER grant serves the very purpose of avoiding exactly the avoidance of local neighborhood concerns that have typically come with freeway construction in inner cities. It is actually possible to successfully integrate an elevated freeway with the community if proper concerns and standards are met, and the communities are actively involved.


I really don't think that Lafayette will be any less the Capital of Cajun Country, or ULL will lose any status, if the Connector is built. The positives far outweighs the negatives here.

[Anthony_JK]

New article today in the Lafayette Daily Advertiser updating the status and probable future funding of I-49 South between Lafayette and New Orleans:

Interstate 49 south efforts are making incremental progress, with a favorable bid received for reworking an intersection in St. Mary Parish and design plans progressing on the route that will link Shreveport to New Orleans, mostly along U.S. Highway 90.
But the big money for executing the project from Lafayette to New Orleans, the southern portion of the route in Louisiana, may not show up until 2020, when the department hopes to capitalize on additional funding scheduled to be gained through the Vehicle Sales Tax.

In response to a question from state Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, Secretary of Transportation and Development Sherri LeBas told the Senate Finance Committee on Monday that bids were taken for work at the intersection of U.S. 90 and La. 318 in St. Mary Parish, along the route. The low bid of about $55 million came in about $4 million under the projection; a contract may be signed by May or June.
LeBas said that St. Mary project would leave an intersection at U.S. 90 and Ambassador Caffery in Lafayette and an intersection of U.S. and La. 88 in St. Martin Parish as the lone projects remaining for I-49 south below the Lafayette airport to St. Mary. The remainder of the route between those points meet standards for interstate highways.

LeBas said a consultant is at work on the Lafayette Connector, which would run from Interstate 10 to Pinhook Road.

The good news, she said, is that design work is progressing and will be well along when the Vehicle Sales Tax money – she said it would provide around $400 million a year – becomes available, probably in 2020. The Lafayette Connector alone will cost about $750 million.

I'll ignore the obvious mistakes of not uppercapping "South" in "I-49 South"; in missing the southern terminus of the I-49 Connector (Kaliste Saloom Road, NOT Pinhook Road); and ignoring the segments still remaining to be upgraded between Lafayette Regional Airport and Wax Lake Outlet even after the US 90/LA 318 interchange is ultimately built (overpass of the L&DRR spur south of LA 85; LA 92 interchange; Verot School Rd., Southpark Rd., and Morgan Ave. interchanges between Lafayette and Broussard).


The main point here is that the vehicle sales tax, especially if combined with a new long-term federal transportation authorization bill, could provide the funding necessary to complete at least the Lafayette to Morgan City segment of I-49 South, and perhaps even ultimately the whole shebang all the way to New Orleans.


In addition, LeBas also announced that a consultant has been selected to begin the preliminary design work for the I-49 Connector segment in Lafayette; that should ramp up later this summer. The Corridor Plan that was funded by the TIGER grant will run concurrently with the design work, so the two will coordinate with each other in offering a final plan for the freeway and its surroundings by the time the money starts to kick in.


Slow but steady progress as she goes, I guess.

[Henry]

That's very good news! I now have a reason to believe that I-49 from New Orleans to Texarkana will be completed by midcentury, if not sooner than that. (Of course, that depends on the Allendale scenario, but anything goes.)

[Anthony_JK]

Today, the Lafayette Advertiser (and their little brothers in the Gannett news chain, the Opelousas Daily World), ran an article on the possibility of funding the remainder of the I-49 South extension project. Mostly, the news wasn't so good. Excerpting from the article:

The road from Lafayette to New Orleans is paved with good intentions.

Paving it with asphalt will take more than that.

About 100 people attended a U.S. Senate small business committee meeting Monday at the South Lafayette Library that quickly turned into a discussion of U.S. Interstate 49, the final leg of which will extend from New Orleans through Lafayette before continuing through Shreveport and into America's midsection.

U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, hosted the meeting, joined by U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, and conversation quickly turned to the final, 160-mile leg of the interstate that runs along what is now U.S. Highway 90. I-49 work in Louisiana from Shreveport to Lafayette is virtually completed to Interstate 10; while much of the remainder of the intended route from Lafayette to New Orleans is up to interstate standards, expensive portions through the city of Lafayette and from Raceland to New Orleans remain undone. One federal official estimated it would take $5 billion to complete the I-49 project.

Vitter, Boustany and members of the public noted that completing I-49 is crucial for the trade corridor that route represents – many of the state's inland ports are located near I-49 – as a hurricane evacuation route – half the state would evacuate and for safety reasons. That stretch of road is known as the "Energy Corridor"  because so many oil and gas products are transported on that route.
"I-49 is the top priority for us,"  said Boustany, who serves on the House Ways & Means Committee, which has much authority over trade, Medicare, Social Security and other money matters. He said the highway connects the nation's heartland to Louisiana's ports and noted that his own 3rd Congressional District was said to be the eighth-most active congressional district for trade, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

"If we don't do this,"  he said of the I-49 completion, "We are going to languish."

But funding the interstate's completion won't be easy. Vitter and Boustany noted that federal gasoline tax collections have diminished over the years as gas mileage has improved, and federal Highway Bill funding has hobbled along with only short-term extensions for funding.

David Kim, an assistant administrator for policy affairs at the federal Department of Transportation, said it would be difficult to complete I-49 if the federal government stays at level funding in the Highway Bill. He suggested – so did the elected leaders – that the nation needs a longterm highway bill with robust and reliable funding.

Terry Baugh of D&J Construction in Ouachita Parish suggested that funds might be raised with a sales tax on vehicles. He likened that to a user tax, and said that heavier vehicles, which cause more strain on the highways, ought to pay more.

Vitter suggested Louisianians ought to be open to imposition of a toll on U.S. 90 as a way to raise funds and quicken the pace of the I-49 completion.

Kam Movassaghi of Lafayette, former secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development, said that oil and gas will continue to be the principal source of fuel for the country, and pipelines here serve as the "aorta"  for oil and gas in the country. He said there are 1,200 oil and gas-related businesses in the area, most located on or near U.S. 90, and that the Energy Corridor is vital to the nation.

Locals cannot fund the project, he said; the federal government must do its part.

Vitter suggested that the state has not always spent its federal road funds wisely; Boustany noted a $12 billion backlog for road and bridge projects in Louisiana.

Discussion also included highway congestion in Lafayette. Don Hargroder of Courtesy Automotive said clogged roadways cost his businesses time and money because it takes hired hands excessive time to do mundane tasks like picking up vehicle parts or transporting customers to their home or work.

Missy Rogers of Noble Plastics said traffic congestion not only makes travel difficult, but she said she also routes visiting prospective customers away from unsightly roadways like the Evangeline Thruway. She said potential clients could think ill of Lafayette because of those areas.

I suppose that I shouldn't be so surprised that Vitter revived the previously rejected option of tolling US 90...but I still say that's a non-starter.

[bugo]

I-49 work in Louisiana from Shreveport to Lafayette is virtually completed to Interstate 10

It's been completed for many years now, or am I reading this wrong?

Why not go ahead and sign the completed portions as US 90/I-49?

[Anthony_JK]

They would first have to commit funding for and begin constructon of the I-49 Connector segment in Lafayette, since that's the connection between US 90 and the existing I-49 north of I-10. (Remember, US 90 doesn't directly connect to I-10/I-49; it breaks from the Evangeline Thruway alignment at Mudd Avenue/Cameron Street.)

Once that is done, and the Westbank Expressway freeway in NOLA is extended to US 90 south of the Huey P. Long Bridge, then they can do what Texas has done for I-69 and gradually slap I-shields on the completed sections as time develops.

[jbnv]

Better idea: Decommission the useless LA 49 designation on Williams Blvd. in Kenner, and designate the entire I-49 corridor as LA 49. Everything south of the current I-49 terminus at I-10 can be signed as LA 49.

[Anthony_JK]

BAD IDEA, because most of the I-49 South corridor is already designated in the NHS as a US highway (US 167/US 90/US 90B) save for the segment in Lafayette not fronting the Evangeline Thruway. Plus, what do you have against Williams Blvd. being a state highway?


Just do as Texas is doing with the I-69 system and slap I-49 shields on the completed segments as you go along.


Also...you create a serious wrong-way designation issue with moving LA 49: A mostly east-west route going from SE to NW???

[Avalanchez71]

US 90 is sufficient and useful in the current form.  I don't see the need for I-49 to sweep along a dog leg.

[Anthony_JK]

Sufficient??? A highway that was originally designed to be a fully controlled access freeway, built to 70 mph design speeds, yet goes through a decent sized city as a 4-lane one-way couplet/at-grade expressway??


Useful?? You mean, all those efforts to add interchanges and frontage roads on US 90 should be all for naught, since you believe that a surface expressway is "useful"??


Thankfully, people here in South Louisiana don't share your concept of "sufficiency" or "usefulness".


Whether it's I-49 South, I-10S or LA 1049, a freeway along the US 90 corridor between Lafayette and New Orleans, combined with the I-49 Connector through Lafayette, was, is, and will be needed. Whether some folk like it or not, it's getting built.

[Scott5114]

In before he says "waste of tax payer money" like that's some trump card to win a discussion.

[Avalanchez71]

In before he says "waste of tax payer money" like that's some trump card to win a discussion.

Waste of taxpayer money was not used here.  I do not know the taxing structure of the area that well.  I do see that I-10 already serves New Orleans and Lafayette.  Sure put a couple of ramps up no big deal, however, a full fledged dog leg I-49, I just don't see why.  I did drive US 90 and found it sufficient.  The route was already moved way out of the way of Houma.  Now Houma is left out in the cold.

[codyg1985]

In before he says "waste of tax payer money" like that's some trump card to win a discussion.

Waste of taxpayer money was not used here.  I do not know the taxing structure of the area that well.  I do see that I-10 already serves New Orleans and Lafayette.  Sure put a couple of ramps up no big deal, however, a full fledged dog leg I-49, I just don't see why.  I did drive US 90 and found it sufficient.  The route was already moved way out of the way of Houma.  Now Houma is left out in the cold.

Lafayette is the big bottleneck for evacuees that would need to leave New Orleans in the event of a hurricane.

[intelati49]

In before he says "waste of tax payer money" like that's some trump card to win a discussion.

Waste of taxpayer money was not used here.  I do not know the taxing structure of the area that well.  I do see that I-10 already serves New Orleans and Lafayette.  Sure put a couple of ramps up no big deal, however, a full fledged dog leg I-49, I just don't see why.  I did drive US 90 and found it sufficient.  The route was already moved way out of the way of Houma.  Now Houma is left out in the cold.

Lafayette is the big bottleneck for evacuees that would need to leave New Orleans in the event of a hurricane.

Plus the crash rates are awful? I haven't seen them for myself, but I have heard bad things about the stretch.

[Henry]

US 90 is sufficient and useful in the current form.  I don't see the need for I-49 to sweep along a dog leg.

Indeed! That would've worked better as an I-10 reroute anyway (or I-6).

[Anthony_JK]

In before he says "waste of tax payer money" like that's some trump card to win a discussion.

Waste of taxpayer money was not used here.  I do not know the taxing structure of the area that well.  I do see that I-10 already serves New Orleans and Lafayette.  Sure put a couple of ramps up no big deal, however, a full fledged dog leg I-49, I just don't see why.  I did drive US 90 and found it sufficient.  The route was already moved way out of the way of Houma.  Now Houma is left out in the cold.

The reason US 90 was moved out of downtown Houma was to equalize access between Houma and Thibodeaux. I'd hardly say that either of those cities were and are "out of the cold".

Plus...that segment of US 90 between Morgan City and Raceland is already an Interstate grade freeway, and most of US 90 between Lafayette and Morgan City are either completed or being converted to Interstate grade. Why should the Evangeline Thruway and the non-upgraded segments of US 90 and Westbank Expressway be denied the same upgrades? Just because you drove it once and said so??

Also...it doesn't matter whether it's an extension of I-49 or I-10S as far as I'm concerned; it needs to be completed for economic, safety, and hurricane evacuation reasons.

(BTW, hurricane evacuation isn't necessarily for NOLA, but mostly for the cities fronting US 90 in South Louisiana (Morgan City, Patterson, New Iberia, Houma/Thibodeaux) that could experience catastropic storm surge in the event of a Category 3 or higher hurricane approach. Tell these folks that I-49 South isn't needed.)

[Anthony_JK]

Also...that "dog leg" argument doesn't wash, because that segment will be only a small portion of I-49 once it is completed all the way to Kansas City. Plus, relatively speaking, New Orleans is south of Lafayette, so even that "dog leg" fits a N/S orientation in general, despite the initial "wrong way" segment from NOLA to Morgan City.

But by all means, Av, do tell us more about why we don't need this highway.

[Zeffy]

I-95 in between Wilmington, Delaware and Baltimore, Maryland has a diagonal alignment. Or, as a better example, I-85 from Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia is much more east/west than it is north/south! There's not even much precedent for Interstates following the grid or directional parity any more, so at this point, it'd make just as much sense as to extend I-49 from Lafayette to New Orleans.

[jbnv]

BAD IDEA, because most of the I-49 South corridor is already designated in the NHS as a US highway (US 167/US 90/US 90B) save for the segment in Lafayette not fronting the Evangeline Thruway.

I'd also truncate US 167 at Pineville and make Johnston St./Louisiana Ave./etc. a separate state highway, but I bet you wouldn't like that idea either. US 90 BUS will go away anyway once I-49 is finished; might as well let that happen now.

Plus, what do you have against Williams Blvd. being a state highway?

It doesn't go anywhere. It's just a major city artery. By your argument, Veterans Blvd, Clearview Blvd, and Causeway Blvd. should all be promoted to state highways.

Just do as Texas is doing with the I-69 system and slap I-49 shields on the completed segments as you go along.

Not that I mind telling the feds what they can do with themselves, but this is more of a "bad idea" than my LA 49 idea.

Also...you create a serious wrong-way designation issue with moving LA 49: A mostly east-west route going from SE to NW???

The "completed" I-49 is going to have that problem anyway, bending from NW-SE to W-E to a northbound hook. In New Orleans, "northbound" traffic will go south and west for several miles before it starts truly going north. Numbering the miles and exits on that thing is going to be fun too. No matter which end the numbers start, they'll be going "backwards" for a long stretch.

[Anthony_JK]

BAD IDEA, because most of the I-49 South corridor is already designated in the NHS as a US highway (US 167/US 90/US 90B) save for the segment in Lafayette not fronting the Evangeline Thruway.

I'd also truncate US 167 at Pineville and make Johnston St./Louisiana Ave./etc. a separate state highway, but I bet you wouldn't like that idea either. US 90 BUS will go away anyway once I-49 is finished; might as well let that happen now.

That's a decision for LADOTD, AASHTO, and the FHWA, not for you or me....and I'm guessing that they are not going to demote the Westbank Expressway to a state highway. They will revive hidden I-910 before they ever approve moving LA 49. US 90B is probably going to be delisted, I agree, when the rest of the Westbank Expy. is upgraded.

Plus, what do you have against Williams Blvd. being a state highway?

It doesn't go anywhere. It's just a major city artery. By your argument, Veterans Blvd, Clearview Blvd, and Causeway Blvd. should all be promoted to state highways.

No, I am NOT arguing that those roadways should be promoted (well, you could make a strong case for Clearview Parkway since it connects US 90 at the Huey P. Long Bridge with I-10); only that LA 49 should NOT be used as a designation for I-49 South.

Just do as Texas is doing with the I-69 system and slap I-49 shields on the completed segments as you go along.

Not that I mind telling the feds what they can do with themselves, but this is more of a "bad idea" than my LA 49 idea.

You are entitled to your opinion, and I'm entitled to disagree...and since it's the Feds who will be mostly funding I-49 South with 80% funding, they are just as entitled to take what you tell them with a pound of salt.

Also...you create a serious wrong-way designation issue with moving LA 49: A mostly east-west route going from SE to NW???

The "completed" I-49 is going to have that problem anyway, bending from NW-SE to W-E to a northbound hook. In New Orleans, "northbound" traffic will go south and west for several miles before it starts truly going north. Numbering the miles and exits on that thing is going to be fun too. No matter which end the numbers start, they'll be going "backwards" for a long stretch.

Only for the brief section from NOLA to near Houma...after that it is all either SE to NW or S to N. I don't think that 30 miles of "wrong-way" routing out of a nearly 140 mile project should disqualify a designation. Especially when the ultimate extension to Kansas City will take on nearly 1,400 miles, 30 miles of "wrong way" routing is like a minor speed bump, not a "long stretch".

Also, for local traffic using I-49 South from NOLA to Houma-Thibodeaux-Morgan City, it will be more of a east-west than north-south route. Long term traffic from Lafayette or New Iberia to NOLA will understand perfectly the general N-S orientation, since last time I checked, Lafayette was still NW of NOLA.

[Scott5114]

You could change the signed cardinal direction to East-West at some point and then there would be no "wrong way" section.

[aboges26]

You could change the signed cardinal direction to East-West at some point and then there would be no "wrong way" section.

I agree, the 0 mile point could still be in New Orleans but sign I-49 as east-west between Lafayette and N.O., the world won't stop just because prevailing instances have east-west highways with their 0 mile point in the west.

I-69 switches from N-S to E-W at the northern interchange with its concurrency with I-96, even though it could conceivably stay signed as N-S to I-75 in Flint.  I cannot think of a precedent on the interstate system where an E-W highway has its 0 mile point in the east, but in Ontario the MTO did not hesitate to start 417 in the east.

[Henry]

You could change the signed cardinal direction to East-West at some point and then there would be no "wrong way" section.

I agree, the 0 mile point could still be in New Orleans but sign I-49 as east-west between Lafayette and N.O., the world won't stop just because prevailing instances have east-west highways with their 0 mile point in the west.

I-69 switches from N-S to E-W at the northern interchange with its concurrency with I-96, even though it could conceivably stay signed as N-S to I-75 in Flint.  I cannot think of a precedent on the interstate system where an E-W highway has its 0 mile point in the east, but in Ontario the MTO did not hesitate to start 417 in the east.

I can live with I-49 being east/west from New Orleans to Lafayette. After all, I-69 north (or east) of Lansing holds the sole precedent.