I-49 Lafayette Connector/I-49 South Update (The Sequel)

[bwana39]

The two US-90 freeway interchange projects in question, Verot School Road and Kaliste Saloom, are near Lafayette Regional Airport and the South end of the proposed ICC. Hopefully the projects will include completing the continuous frontage roads in that zone.

The I-49 upgrade situation South of Lafayette is pretty frustrating for how slow it is going. Progress only seems to be happening one at-grade intersection at a time. The problem is there are so many at-grade intersections and missing frontage road segments to fix in the 12.5 miles from the regional airport down to the LA-88 freeway interchange. And that doesn't address the condition of the US-90 main lanes and what must be done with them to meet current Interstate standards.

Some projects are in progress, like the Ambassador Cafferty Parkway interchange. Some improvements to the US-90 main lanes are happening farther South. But overall the construction taking place seems like it is being done in piece-meal fashion.

It would seem like they would at least try to finish all the gaps in the frontage roads in some kind of organized manner. That would open up the ability to rehab the US-90 main lanes in a faster, more efficient manner.

Old US Highway main lanes are a problem everywhere. In MOST cases on I-69. the US-59 mainlanes are being rebuilt down to the substrate.

[Bobby5280]

I think the US-90 main lanes will have to be completely rebuilt as well (especially if they're thinking about widening any portions from a 2x2 to 3x3 lanes configuration). They could have been working on completing the frontage roads outside the main lanes many years ago. Completed frontage roads would have allowed a far more efficient diversion of US-90 traffic to allow complete reconstruction of the sub-standard main lanes.

Instead, they're doing this half-ass approach of spot-upgrades at one intersection at a time. Re-build frontage roads and re-build main lanes in a very restricted, short distance zone rather than have any sort of bigger picture approach. It's stupid and counter-productive.

[Anthony_JK]

I think the US-90 main lanes will have to be completely rebuilt as well (especially if they're thinking about widening any portions from a 2x2 to 3x3 lanes configuration). They could have been working on completing the frontage roads outside the main lanes many years ago. Completed frontage roads would have allowed a far more efficient diversion of US-90 traffic to allow complete reconstruction of the sub-standard main lanes.

Instead, they're doing this half-ass approach of spot-upgrades at one intersection at a time. Re-build frontage roads and re-build main lanes in a very restricted, short distance zone rather than have any sort of bigger picture approach. It's stupid and counter-productive.

Widening the US 90 mainlanes to 3x3 south of Lafayette has already been done, even in the sections where full upgrades have not commenced. They did that when they temporarily added R-Cut intersections as a interim stopgap until they can fully freewayize the corridor. 3x3 currently extends to the LA 182/BNSF overpass, and will extend beyond that when the Ambassador Caffery Parkway South interchange is completed later this summer. 

One-way access/frontage roads are already baked into the Verot School Road interchange design (the intersection of Verot School Rd. with the access roads will be elevated to allow the intersection to pass over the mainline 90/I-49 lanes and the adjacent railroad line). Frontage roads are also being built to cross over the BNSF rail line and LA 182 near Broussard, and will be extended south to the Ambassador Caffery interchange.

The plans are to have continuous one-way access/frontage roads along US 90 tying into the proposed "Evangeline Boulevard" section of the Evangeline Thruway as part of the Lafayette Connector project, then extending all the way to at least the Ambassador Caffrey interchange, and probably all the way to the LA 88 interchange in Iberia Parish. I am assuming also that the plan is to extend the mainline 3x3 widening all the way to LA 88 as well. 

They still have to do the design work for the frontage roads south of ACPS, and for the section between Verot School and the Albertson's Parkway/St. Nazaire Road interchange, as well as decide whether or not they want grade-separated interchanges at Southpark Road (LA 89) and Morgan Avenue/Eola Road in Broussard; and then there is the issue of building an interchange where LA 92 runs concurrently with US 90 right near the Le Triumph golf course.

Verot School Road interchange is fully funded and completing the design stage; it is next on the construction docket after ACPS is finished.