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[kernals12]

Removing the Claiborne elevated freeway section of I-10 is less than desirable. That said, through freeway access would still be there. That proposal would only have the eastern segment removed. The Pontchartrain Expressway would remain.

The through I-10 traffic already travels via I-610 (or I-12) This all said, the traffic volumes pretty much demand the Claiborne part remain open.

I will add one thing that most of us already realize: The result of freeway removal is almost never reunification of a divided community. It is either gentrification, redevelopment, or new development. None of these three benefit the "affected" communities.

Or it just makes no real difference at all. Rochester hasn't exactly been a hot spot since they filled in the inner loop.

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens in Syracuse.

The only thing that can revitalize upstate New York is global warming.

[vdeane]

Downtown Rochester actually has been redeveloping a fair bit.  Where the Inner Loop was, it's not even possible to tell there was ever a freeway there anymore.

[Rothman]

Downtown Rochester actually has been redeveloping a fair bit.  Where the Inner Loop was, it's not even possible to tell there was ever a freeway there anymore.

I was about to say, the insanity of the real estate market certainly made Rochester a hot spot for anyone actually paying attention rather than relying upon past reputation.

[Rothman]

Removing the Claiborne elevated freeway section of I-10 is less than desirable. That said, through freeway access would still be there. That proposal would only have the eastern segment removed. The Pontchartrain Expressway would remain.

The through I-10 traffic already travels via I-610 (or I-12) This all said, the traffic volumes pretty much demand the Claiborne part remain open.

I will add one thing that most of us already realize: The result of freeway removal is almost never reunification of a divided community. It is either gentrification, redevelopment, or new development. None of these three benefit the "affected" communities.

Or it just makes no real difference at all. Rochester hasn't exactly been a hot spot since they filled in the inner loop.

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens in Syracuse.

Not really.  The project really isn't opening that much land.  Although there has been here-and-there residential development, it's hard to see where any significant development could happen.  There will be a few new places, but it won't be a total transformation of the community.

Still, I'm optimistic given other good signs that the city is slowly redeveloping.

[Anthony_JK]

Removing the Claiborne elevated freeway section of I-10 is less than desirable. That said, through freeway access would still be there. That proposal would only have the eastern segment removed. The Pontchartrain Expressway would remain.

The through I-10 traffic already travels via I-610 (or I-12) This all said, the traffic volumes pretty much demand the Claiborne part remain open.

I will add one thing that most of us already realize: The result of freeway removal is almost never reunification of a divided community. It is either gentrification, redevelopment, or new development. None of these three benefit the "affected" communities.

While it is true that most traffic going through NOLA will use the I-610 "bypass" to avoid the Claiborne Elevated section, there is plenty of traffic from both the Westbank Expressway and from points north and east that utilize that freeway for accessing the French Quarter, the CBD, the Superdome/Smoothie Center complex, and other venues in downtown. I can't see, even if it was feasible to substitute a localized system of surface roads, that anything removing that segment of I-10 will fly, especially not with the state Legislature or suburban NOLA voters who use that facility.

[The Ghostbuster]

Was it wrong to hack down all the trees along Claibourne Avenue to build the elevated Interstate 10 viaduct? Absolutely! Should Interstate 10 be torn down and rerouted onto 610? I would say no. Unfortunately, there probably wasn't enough space to build the freeway as a depressed roadway (and it would have flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005). I only wish there had been enough space to add emergency shoulders on both sides of the six-lane roadway.

[bwana39]

Was it wrong to hack down all the trees along Claibourne Avenue to build the elevated Interstate 10 viaduct? Absolutely! Should Interstate 10 be torn down and rerouted onto 610? I would say no. Unfortunately, there probably wasn't enough space to build the freeway as a depressed roadway (and it would have flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005). I only wish there had been enough space to add emergency shoulders on both sides of the six-lane roadway.

Just like in many other places. A 2x2 with shoulders makes a very uncomfortable restriped 3x3 with none.  Not sure this is what happened here, but effectively, that is what you have.

[bwana39]

Construction set to start in 2023!

I hope this project will show that elevated highways that run through cities don't have to barriers between communities or sources of blight.

One of the things the media seems to represent is that the places the roads went through were not already plagued with poverty and substandard housing before they came through. While it may not have had the intended outcome, planners often chose to route freeways through substandard blighted areas in the first place. The HOPE was to nudge the impoverished to take small steps toward betterment. That is not what happens in reality, but who knew 60+ years ago.

My grandmother lived in a "vibrant community" 50 years ago. The freeway came nowhere close. There were neighborhood groceries (bodegas) within comfortable walking distance either way.  By the time they left in 1982,the bodegas were both closed. There were supermarkets within a couple of miles, but clearly outside the ability of a 70-year-old to walk back and forth with perishables.  The vibrant communities were despoiled by actors such as Safeway, Kroger, and the Simon Group. Supermarkets, chain stores, and shopping malls did VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOODS in.  Today, the squalor in her neighborhood is just as bad as the  neighborhoods supposedly spoiled by the freeways. It wasn't the freeway dividing communities that accelerated their downward spiral, it was the fact that the communities were stripped of goods and services that were accessible. In the words of Michael MacDonald and Kenny Loggins, they are tryin' to hard  recreate what has yet to be created.. .

On Facebook, there are lots of the "we didn't know we were poor" looks back at our lives as kids and young adults. I see my childhood as idyllic. We had no hot water the first two years we lived in my childhood home (age 3 -5). We didn't have a phone (landline /party line) until after I started to school. My (country) grandparents (and several of my peers grandparents) had an outhouse. We had a single window ac unit and a 24" B&W tv. We got a color one when I was a senior in High School. My grandparents had no ac and also had an old B&W set. We got 3, 6, and 12. Sometimes we got a rimshot from Tyler or ElDorado (ar)

Just like my grandparents (city) neighborhood, it is not what the freeway took away, but what failed to flourish later on. Lower income neighborhoods either get worse or they gentrify. Some stabilize, but not most. Generally except for the most toney areas, once the tide shifts away from homeowners to renters, the decline will continue unabated. The shift is for two reasons. The market price in these neighborhoods is already failing to appreciate in value leading to attractive pricing. Landlords are always looking for bargains.  The second is landlords choosing to forgo maintenance to either forgo rent increases or because the (impoverished) market will not support increased rental rates.

A lot of things cause poverty. Highways are a part. Not where the highways are, but the fact that the highways enable the better positioned people to become commuters. The less well off economically are stuck . The neighborhood continues to worsen and.....

[bwana39]

There is some new TIMED funding  for this project SB277 was passed as ACT 505 of 2022. The I-10 bridges in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles and finishing I-49 to New Orleans. http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=22RS&b=SB277&sbi=y

An op-ed on it : https://darik.news/louisiana/jim-beam-column-finally-a-bridge-solution-american-press/578760.html

[Bobby5280]

One of the things we seem to take for granted is that the places the roads went through were not already plagued with poverty and substandard housing Before they came through. While it may not have had the intended outcome, planners often chose to route freeways through substandard blighted areas in the first place. The HOPE was to nudge the impoverished to take small steps toward betterment. That is not what happens in reality, but who knew 60+ years ago.

Freeways are at best a scapegoat for the blight and poverty that affects some neighborhoods. I can point to many locations where Interstates pass by or even through high income neighborhoods.

Bad neighborhoods and the cycles of poverty, crime and blight that affect them exist out of largely by way of policy. Zoning policies concentrate people of different income classes in separate neighborhoods. Businesses prefer to build in nicer locations. Schools in the higher income neighborhoods are better. Those schools get far better funding due to the superior property tax bases and those schools attract the best teachers. The highest income neighborhoods hoard most of the best opportunities. The middle income areas get modest amounts of investment. The poor areas only seem to get disinvestment.

When someone is born in a neighborhood that has been bad for generations that person has all kinds of strikes against him. Chances are he'll be raised in a broken home, attend crappy schools, have all sorts of terrible role models and have no hope for the future. In that environment it is very easy for someone to adopt the attitude: you're on your own.

There are ways to break this cycle. But I don't think the American people want that. They like having their own enclaves with similar types of people and won't put up with any mixing. Even the most progressive types of people are prone to the NIMBY syndrome. Hence the reason why many gentrified areas in big cities reek of hypocrisy.

[Alps]

back on topic please, this is not a political forum

[rte66man]

https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-announces-866-million-loan-louisiana-state-bond

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces up to $86.6 million Loan to the Louisiana State Bond Commission for infrastructure projects in the State

Monday, August 1, 2022

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that its Build America Bureau has provided a low-interest loan for $86.6 million to the Louisiana State Bond Commission for the benefit of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) to fund the I-49 S. Ambassador Caffery/US 90 Interchange near Broussard in Lafayette Parish. The Bureau helps communities across the country reduce the costs of infrastructure projects by providing Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans, known as TIFIA loans, and other types of financing.

This is the last project of four from a transportation project financing package approved by the Bureau in August 2021 and funded through a British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon settlement. The project, approximately 2.4 miles in length, includes new two-lane frontage roads and construction of interchanges at US 90 and Ambassador Caffery Blvd. and US 90 and Albertson Parkway.

“This interchange project will enhance safety, improve evacuations during life-threatening weather events, and is part of an overall improvement plan that supports job creation for the region,” said Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg.

The Louisiana leaders developed a package of projects that the Bureau was able to review and approve as a bundle, speeding up the process for each individual loan,” said Executive Director Morteza Farajian. “Three of the four projects qualified for reduced interest rates, half the treasury rate, through our Rural Projects Initiative.”

The Bureau was established as a “one-stop-shop” during the Obama Administration to help states and other project sponsors carry out infrastructure projects. The Bureau offers low-interest, long-term credit programs, technical assistance, and best practices in project planning, financing, delivery, and operation. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Biden in November 2021, expands project eligibility for the Bureau’s TIFIA credit program and extends maturity of the loans, giving borrowers additional flexibility.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has closed $38.4 billion in TIFIA financings, supporting more than $132 billion in infrastructure investment across the country.

[Anthony_JK]

LADOTD announced today that construction of the Ambassador Caffery Parkway South interchange with US 90 is starting.

This includes extending one-way access roads over the LA 182/BNSF Railway crossing to south of Ambassador Caffery, and adjusting the south entry/exits to the Albertson Parkway/St. Nazaire Road interchange.

http://wwwapps.dotd.la.gov/administration/announcements/Announcement.aspx?key=30799

[Anthony_JK]

A very interesting development in the Lafayette Connector project.

LADOTD's Consultant Contracts page -- where they list potential bid letting for contracts for construction and design -- now includes a potential future contract which is tentatively scheduled for the first quarter of 2023 for "US 167 Interchange with Willow Street". That would be the Willow Street interchange that is the northern portion of the Lafayette Connector project.

It is included twice: first for design and construction with a Notice of Intent scheduled to be issued in the 1Q of 2023 (January through March); and again in a separate potential contract for "Owner Verification Services" scheduled for the 2Q (April through June) of next year.

That's quite interesting timing, considering that LADOTD hasn't yet even released the Draft Supplemental EIS for the Connector project yet; it was supposed to be finalized and released to the public in July, with the Draft SEIS Public Hearing already being held in August. Nothing on the official Connector website (https://www.lafayetteconnector.com) as of yet on when the Draft SEIS will be released and available for the public, either.

For the record the entire list of future projected advertisements for letting can be found here (scroll down a bit for the Willow Street listings):

http://wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Inside_LaDOTD/Divisions/Engineering/CCS/Pages/Projected_Ads.aspx

[Anthony_JK]

Today, groundbreaking took place for the start of construction of the Ambassador Caffery Parkway South interchange with US 90 that is a continuation of the US 90 to I-49 South upgrade in lower Lafayette Parish. Governor John Bel Edwards and many state and local officials were there for the ceremony.


That particular project would extend the upgrade of US 90 to 6-lane Interstate freeway standards to just south of Ambassador Caffery Parkway, extend 2-lane one-way frontage/access roads over the BNSF/UP railroad mainline and LA 182 to connect with ACPS, modify ramp connections between the mainlanes and the frontage roads, and construct a mainline overpass of US 90/Future I-49 over the ACPS, with a connection to Zoosiana (the former Zoo of Acadiana). There have been some talks of a proposed extension of ACPS to LA 182, but it's very preliminary as of now.


This article in the Lafayette Daily Advertiser (behind a paywall) contains quotes from local officials on the project's impacts and the possible future funding for other parts of the I-49 South upgrade, including the segment through Lafayette proper.


https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2022/11/14/key-part-of-136m-i-49-project-in-lafayette-starts/69647232007/

[Bobby5280]

Is there an overall strategy for how they're going to chip away at all the at-grade intersections and driveways connecting to US-90 South of Lafayette Regional Airport?

I suppose the priority is to convert the busiest intersections controlled by traffic signals first and then spread out from there. Ambassador Caffery Pkwy and US-90 is a busy intersection. Converting that to a freeway exit and extending new frontage roads over the BNSF/UP rail line will result in a 2 mile long section of 6-lane freeway.

When this project is completed I wonder if they'll shift focus to the half dozen or so traffic signals on US-90 farther South before it turns into a freeway at Captain Cade Road.

[Anthony_JK]

I'm guessing that the strategy is to move with the money flow....as the funds permit, they will convert more of US 90 to Interstate status.

The southern limits of the Lafayette Connector project are just to the north of Verot School Road, and an interchange/frontage road upgrade at Verot School Rd. is in the design stage, waiting for funding and construction. There are also plans to expand and extend the frontage roads to be continuous one-way from Verot School to the existing and now completed Albertson's Parkway/St. Nazaire Road interchange, and perhaps build overpasses and interchanges at Southpark Road (LA 89) and Iola Road/Morgan Avenue in Broussard.

The segment of US 90 south of Ambassador Caffery is also scheduled for an upgrade, with an overpass/frontage road setup extended to Young Street (LA 92-1 West) and Petroleum Parkway (LA 92-1 East); and frontage roads would extend from there to where the existing frontage roads end at Captain Cade Road.

With a bit more money flowing in, the process should be speeding up a bit.


The current temporary setup for the non-freeway sections of US 90 was modified to the current RCUTs + signalized J-turns about 5 years ago; that will obviously disappear with the freeway + frontage road upgrade.

[Anthony_JK]

Today, LADOTD put out the official notice for the first segment of the I-49 Lafayette Connector to be built: the segment from just north of the Evangeline Thruway couplet crossing of the Louisiana & Delta RR Breaux Bridge spur to the I-10 interchange.

This would include the interchange at Willow Street; the dogbone roundabout connection between Martin Luther King Drive, Castille Avenue, and the two-way frontage road system flanking the Thruway between Willow and I-10, and a temporary connection to the current one-way Evangeline Thruway couplet near the railroad spur crossing.

The contract would ultimately become a Design-Build contract to begin ROW acquisition, design, and construction no later than November 2023.

Here is a snippet from the Notice of Intent document (PDF)

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD) is announcing its intent to enter
into a Design-Build (DB) contract with a Design-Builder possessing both professional engineering design
capability and qualified construction contracting capability for the (Future I-49) US 167 Interchange @
Willow Street Project (the “Project”) in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana.

The major elements of the Project as currently proposed may include the following:
 A new interchange on US 167 at Willow Street;
 Multilane mainline roadway on US 167 (Future I-49);
 Frontage roads;
 New and modified local roadways;
 Right-of-way appraisal and acquisition services;
 Utility coordination;
 Maintenance of traffic in a congested urban environment; and
 Close coordination with key stakeholders.

The anticipated contract execution date for this Project is no later than November 2023. The Project’s
conceptual cost is within the range of $250 million to $300 million; however, this cost may be adjusted as
additional detailed project cost information becomes available.

And here's a screenshot of the limits of this project:

[Anthony_JK]

Well, we found out today why this project has been dormant this past year.

An opponent of the Connector project, Ann Burruss, recently filed a civil rights complaint to the Federal Highway Administration challenging the alignment of the project through the center of Lafayette, and in response, the FHWA has launched their own civil rights investigation to analyze whether or not the project disproportionally impacts Black neighborhoods within Lafayette to the extent of warranting mitigation, if not complete cancelation.

The FHWA is not bound to completely cancel the project; it could simply order more mitigation to ease the impact of the project; however, I'm figuring that that will not ease the concerns of folk like Ms. Burruss, who want the Connector cancelled and an alternative (such as the Teche Ridge bypass east of Lafayette or the Lafayette Regional Expressway toll loop) alignment imposed.

LADOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson has defended LADOTD's process throughout, saying that any notion of the alignment process being racist and discriminatory is "disingenuous" and "a complete snub" to the process.

It's more likely that this will probably result in tweaks to the project to help mitigate some of the impacts, rather than full cancellation. However, this shows that opposition to the project is still pretty strong, albeit not so deep.

Article in the Lafayette Current:

https://thecurrentla.com/2023/how-a-civil-rights-investigation-could-alter-the-i-49-connector




[Note: edited to correct Ann Burruss' last name]

[Anthony_JK]

Personal comment on the above:

This is nothing more than another Hail Mary attempt by the same opponents of the Connector project to appeal to the usual New Urbanist claptrap about "racist freeways". And, upon any sensible evaluation, this doesn't make any sense.

No neighborhood is divided by the Connector project. There is a brief eight block area between the UP rail spur and the Second/Third Street couplet where the elevated mainline does use the center median of the Evangeline Thruway couplet which separates the Sterling Grove and Ballard Subdivision/Laplace neighborhoods, but that section is elevated with complete and full access underneath, and the northbound Thruway is even shifted AWAY from Sterling Grove to mitigate the impact. The center section (Second/Third to Taft) avoids the Thruway altogether by traversing the grounds of the old Southern Pacific railyard while the existing Thruway is converted to a "grand boulevard"; but there is no further division between the Freetown-Port Rico neighborhood west of the project alignment and the McComb-Veazey neighborhood east of it. In fact, the mitigation of the former railyard site would allow for further strengthening the connections between the two neighborhoods.

The claim used by Ms. Burruss is that because the original Evangeline Thruway couplet was so divisive and "racist" through the neighborhoods when it was built in the 1950's, developing the Connector along that alignment would further the "racist" intent, and thus violates the "civil rights" of residents. This is daffy thinking, and abusing racism to promote simple NIMBYism.

Not to mention, even though the cost of the Connector has spiraled to nearly $2 billion, it still beats the alternative of a Teche Ridge bypass in St. Martin Parish that would cost nearly that much due to it having to negotiate through Cypress Swamp and wetlands; and the LRX loop, which would be even more expensive to build.

This nonsense needs to cease. Seriously.



/rant

[Anthony_JK]

Update:

I discovered an earlier article documenting Ann Burruss' attempt to use "civil rights" investigations to kill the Connector project (via the Acadiana Advocate):

https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/i-49-lafayette-connector-investigated-over-racial-divide/article_e147add2-a963-11ed-938c-d76089ab94f6.html

The original letter from Ann Burruss to USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg was dated January 26th; and the announcement by FHWA of the investigation was posted on February 16th.

Turns out that Ms. Burruss' husband is none other than Michael Waldon, one of the most fervent and vehement opponents of the Connector project who was behind the original lawsuit to kill the 2003 Record of Decision, and who has invented many sham arguments to kill the project and promote his prefered Teche Ridge bypass.

Just as I expected: a Hail Mary attempt to exploit "civil rights" to smear this project.

BTW: The DOTD Secretary, Shawn Wilson, happens to not only be Black, but a UL/USL graduate.  But, just plain "racism", right?



[Edited to correct the link to the actual article]

[Plutonic Panda]

Nothing but a typical joker trying to stop a much needed infrastructure project. Plenty of those to go around. I’ll look forward to the day I can drive this beautiful road and listen to some good tunes not even thinking about all of those who love to block progress.

[Anthony_JK]

Just dropped this comment to the Acadiana Advocate's comment section re: the Connector article:

So sorry, but this seems like yet another Hail Mary attempt by the most fervent opponents of this project to exploit the "race card" in order to kill this project. The rationale that Mrs. Burruss uses by quoting the original construction of the Evangeline Thruway in the 1960's as "racist" is absolutely daffy. Was it really racism that determined the original location of the Thruway, or was it the need for a direct north-south thoroughfare that could service both the abutting neighborhoods and downtown Lafayette, as well as serve access to USL/UL and the Lafayette Regional Airport? Would Mrs. Burruss or Mr. Waldon prefer the Thruway be build closer to where Ambassador Caffrey Parkway is today? Or, right over Cypress Swamp? Or, like their preferred Teche Ridge Bypass non-alternative, near Breaux Bridge or St. Martinville?

Secondly, there is no "racial division" with the Connector project. The chosen alignment of the freeway is between two neighborhoods in its northern section or well within its own right-of-way, with direct and continuous access between Sterling Grove and the Ballard Addition/Laplace neighborhoods. The elevated viaduct will allow for full and continuous connectivity between the neighborhoods, and the improvements to the existing Thruway, combined with Complete Streets implementation of green space and walkability and bikeability, will directly enhance and improve the development of the neighborhoods. Not to mention, the removal of the real and actual division that hurts the corridor: the bumper-to-bumper traffic that has turned it into a virtual free fire zone for pedestrians, bikers, and drivers alike. No bypass alternative can provide such benefits without significant other impacts (wetland invasion in the case of Teche Ridge; excessive costs for a western bypass beyond even that of the Connector).

Instead of continuing these stall tactics and parlor tricks, why not just help build the Connector and make it the best it can be for Lafayette and everyone else who will use it?

[rte66man]

Just dropped this comment to the Acadiana Advocate's comment section re: the Connector article:

So sorry, but this seems like yet another Hail Mary attempt by the most fervent opponents of this project to exploit the "race card" in order to kill this project. The rationale that Mrs. Burruss uses by quoting the original construction of the Evangeline Thruway in the 1960's as "racist" is absolutely daffy. Was it really racism that determined the original location of the Thruway, or was it the need for a direct north-south thoroughfare that could service both the abutting neighborhoods and downtown Lafayette, as well as serve access to USL/UL and the Lafayette Regional Airport? Would Mrs. Burruss or Mr. Waldon prefer the Thruway be build closer to where Ambassador Caffrey Parkway is today? Or, right over Cypress Swamp? Or, like their preferred Teche Ridge Bypass non-alternative, near Breaux Bridge or St. Martinville?

Secondly, there is no "racial division" with the Connector project. The chosen alignment of the freeway is between two neighborhoods in its northern section or well within its own right-of-way, with direct and continuous access between Sterling Grove and the Ballard Addition/Laplace neighborhoods. The elevated viaduct will allow for full and continuous connectivity between the neighborhoods, and the improvements to the existing Thruway, combined with Complete Streets implementation of green space and walkability and bikeability, will directly enhance and improve the development of the neighborhoods. Not to mention, the removal of the real and actual division that hurts the corridor: the bumper-to-bumper traffic that has turned it into a virtual free fire zone for pedestrians, bikers, and drivers alike. No bypass alternative can provide such benefits without significant other impacts (wetland invasion in the case of Teche Ridge; excessive costs for a western bypass beyond even that of the Connector).

Instead of continuing these stall tactics and parlor tricks, why not just help build the Connector and make it the best it can be for Lafayette and everyone else who will use it?

    

Very well written.

BUT....
Since when has common sense reigned?

[bwana39]

Just dropped this comment to the Acadiana Advocate's comment section re: the Connector article:

So sorry, but this seems like yet another Hail Mary attempt by the most fervent opponents of this project to exploit the "race card" in order to kill this project. The rationale that Mrs. Burruss uses by quoting the original construction of the Evangeline Thruway in the 1960's as "racist" is absolutely daffy. Was it really racism that determined the original location of the Thruway, or was it the need for a direct north-south thoroughfare that could service both the abutting neighborhoods and downtown Lafayette, as well as serve access to USL/UL and the Lafayette Regional Airport? Would Mrs. Burruss or Mr. Waldon prefer the Thruway be build closer to where Ambassador Caffrey Parkway is today? Or, right over Cypress Swamp? Or, like their preferred Teche Ridge Bypass non-alternative, near Breaux Bridge or St. Martinville?

Secondly, there is no "racial division" with the Connector project. The chosen alignment of the freeway is between two neighborhoods in its northern section or well within its own right-of-way, with direct and continuous access between Sterling Grove and the Ballard Addition/Laplace neighborhoods. The elevated viaduct will allow for full and continuous connectivity between the neighborhoods, and the improvements to the existing Thruway, combined with Complete Streets implementation of green space and walkability and bikeability, will directly enhance and improve the development of the neighborhoods. Not to mention, the removal of the real and actual division that hurts the corridor: the bumper-to-bumper traffic that has turned it into a virtual free fire zone for pedestrians, bikers, and drivers alike. No bypass alternative can provide such benefits without significant other impacts (wetland invasion in the case of Teche Ridge; excessive costs for a western bypass beyond even that of the Connector).

Instead of continuing these stall tactics and parlor tricks, why not just help build the Connector and make it the best it can be for Lafayette and everyone else who will use it?

    

Very well written.

BUT....
Since when has common sense reigned?

Ms. Burruss and Mr. Waldon are from Delaware.  His linked-in profile would suggest he has returned to Delaware. Not sure about her. They are both college biology instructors who specialize on environmental concerns.  Not sure there is a significant correlation between their educational disciplines and their activism. They do appear to be northern liberals who hate ANY urban freeway. Both appear to be white.