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.

[Anthony_JK]

It took these suckas long enough, but FINALLY, the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the I-49 Lafayette Connector freeway project has been signed and approved by FHWA and LADOTD. A ceremony announcing the signing and approval of the DSEIS, featuring reps from FHWA, LADOTD, Lafayette City-Parish Government, and Congressman Clay Higgins, was held this morning, and a press release announcement was posted to the LADOTD website.

The Public Hearing for the DSEIS will take place, according to the announcement, in "Summer 2026", which probably means late July or August. Concurrent with that, a 60-day period for public comments on the DSEIS will take place; followed by FHWA/LADOTD responses to those comments; then the Final SEIS and SROD will be produced and signed by all parties, signifying the final environmental approval and the clearance for finding funding for the project.

Link to the LADOTD announcement:

https://wwwapps.dotd.la.gov/administration/announcements/Announcement.aspx?key=41999#gsc.tab=0

The full SDEIS has not as of yet been released to the Lafayette Connector website (https://lafayetteconnector.com); when it is, I will analyze it and give you all the 411. I may even attempt to grab a paper copy of the document from LADOTD. Also, I will watch the Federal Register for any announcement of availability from there at the FHWA NEPA page.

Let's see where the opposition comes from now.

[elsmere241]

I have what may be a dumb question: Why is this going to be an extension of I-49, and not, say I-6?

[Anthony_JK]

It is a true extension of I-49, terminating at the existing I-10/I-49 interchange. If there was also a bypass loop around Lafayette, that could have been combined with the US 90 upgrade south of Broussard, and that would make sense as I-6.

[Bobby5280]

Any idea when construction might actually start on the connector? I don't expect the project to be let within the rest of 2026. But is 2027 is a possibility? Or are we looking at 2028 or even later?

[Anthony_JK]

Any idea when construction might actually start on the connector? I don't expect the project to be let within the rest of 2026. But is 2027 is a possibility? Or are we looking at 2028 or even later?

Engineering is already underway with two segments of the project: the Willow Street interchange segment from the LDRR rail spur to the I-10/I-49 interchange; and the Kaliste Saloon Road interchange at the other terminus near Lafayette Regional Airport. Funding for construction is not included for either section; that would be assumed to come in once the Final SEIS and SROD is approved and signed. 

Letting for actual construction of the first sections could come as early as 2027 or 2028, once the engineering is completed. 

[The Ghostbuster]

As to elsmere241's question, they probably made the US 90 corridor future Interstate 49 for route continuity. Otherwise, it very likely would have been Interstate 6.

[Anthony_JK]

The Draft Supplemental Impact Statement for the I-49 Lafayette Connector freeway is now posted on line and available for viewing at the official Lafayette Connector website: https://lafayetteconnector.com. It and its appendicies are linked in the "Project Library" section.

Also, the SDEIS Public Hearing has now been set for September 2nd.

The 60 day official public comment period for the SDEIS will end on November 15th; and comments to the Connector website will be posted until December 20th.

I anticipate a Final SDEIS and Supplemental Record of Decision to be posted probably January 2029.

Alternative C6 has been selected as the Preferred Alternative.

[The Ghostbuster]

That would push potential construction probably well into the 2030's. In the meantime, they should put more effort into upgrading US 90 to Interstate Standards.

[Anthony_JK]

That would push potential construction probably well into the 2030's. In the meantime, they should put more effort into upgrading US 90 to Interstate Standards.

It looks like LaDOTD is going to enact a staged approach to construction of this project.

Stage 1 would be constructing the Kaliste Saloom Road interchange and the southern terminus, coinciding with the separate Verot School Road interchange just to its south. Stage 2 would be constructing the frontage road crossing of the Vermilion River and the University/Surrey overpass next to Lafayette Regional Airport. Those sections are funded and currently in the engineering stage.

Stage 3 would be broken into two sub-stages: constructing the mainline elevated structure through the heart of the alignment along with the Willow Street and Pinhook Road interchanges (3A); then building the associated at-grade sections (realigning and rebuilding the Evangeline Thruway and constructing the "grand boulevard" section, 3B). Those stages are unfunded right now, but would probably receive their share next year when the transportation bill is due reauthorization.

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm very happy to see this move forward and I don't really blame them putting this in stages. This is not gonna be a small project and they have a lot of fish to fry down in Louisiana. God, it must be about five years since I've been down there. I need to make it that way and check out what changes they've made.

[Bobby5280]

I wish there was a lot more of that "90% federal match" thing taking place. The Lafayette Connector is a very important project and it needs to get built already. But there's still several miles of US-90 to upgrade farther South just to get connected into that existing US-90 freeway segment near New Iberia.

Once the Lafayette Connector is completed it may still be quite some time before the I-49 designation is signed thru Lafayette due to the rules on where Interstate designations are allowed to end.

[abqtraveler]

I wish there was a lot more of that "90% federal match" thing taking place. The Lafayette Connector is a very important project and it needs to get built already. But there's still several miles of US-90 to upgrade farther South just to get connected into that existing US-90 freeway segment near New Iberia.

Once the Lafayette Connector is completed it may still be quite some time before the I-49 designation is signed thru Lafayette due to the rules on where Interstate designations are allowed to end.

While the main focus is on the Lafayette section, there is still quite a bot more of US-90 that needs to be upgraded before it can be signed as I-49. Particularly, they'll need to figure out what to do about the truss bridge over the Atchafalaya River at Morgan City and the at-grade intersections to the west of there through Idlewild, Patterson, and Calumet. Not to forget the at-grade section from Raceland to Boutte that will also require grade separations or bypasses. I think those will be the most expensive and technically challenging segments to upgrade after Lafayette, yet I don't see any real discussion about plans for those sections.

[The Ghostbuster]

Also, they will have to complete the upgrade of Business 90 in New Orleans to freeway standards. I imagine that Business 90 will be the last segment to be upgraded.

[Strider]

I wish there was a lot more of that "90% federal match" thing taking place. The Lafayette Connector is a very important project and it needs to get built already. But there's still several miles of US-90 to upgrade farther South just to get connected into that existing US-90 freeway segment near New Iberia.

Once the Lafayette Connector is completed it may still be quite some time before the I-49 designation is signed thru Lafayette due to the rules on where Interstate designations are allowed to end.

While the main focus is on the Lafayette section, there is still quite a bot more of US-90 that needs to be upgraded before it can be signed as I-49. Particularly, they'll need to figure out what to do about the truss bridge over the Atchafalaya River at Morgan City and the at-grade intersections to the west of there through Idlewild, Patterson, and Calumet. Not to forget the at-grade section from Raceland to Boutte that will also require grade separations or bypasses. I think those will be the most expensive and technically challenging segments to upgrade after Lafayette, yet I don't see any real discussion about plans for those sections.

I highly doubt they will do anything about the truss bridge. That bridge opened to traffic in 1975, so it is still fairly new. They will just leave it alone.

[abqtraveler]

I wish there was a lot more of that "90% federal match" thing taking place. The Lafayette Connector is a very important project and it needs to get built already. But there's still several miles of US-90 to upgrade farther South just to get connected into that existing US-90 freeway segment near New Iberia.

Once the Lafayette Connector is completed it may still be quite some time before the I-49 designation is signed thru Lafayette due to the rules on where Interstate designations are allowed to end.

While the main focus is on the Lafayette section, there is still quite a bot more of US-90 that needs to be upgraded before it can be signed as I-49. Particularly, they'll need to figure out what to do about the truss bridge over the Atchafalaya River at Morgan City and the at-grade intersections to the west of there through Idlewild, Patterson, and Calumet. Not to forget the at-grade section from Raceland to Boutte that will also require grade separations or bypasses. I think those will be the most expensive and technically challenging segments to upgrade after Lafayette, yet I don't see any real discussion about plans for those sections.

I highly doubt they will do anything about the truss bridge. That bridge opened to traffic in 1975, so it is still fairly new. They will just leave it alone.

Looking at some GSV imagery of the truss bridge over the Atchafalaya River, it looks like they rehabbed and re-painted the bridge in the 2021 timeframe, so it's got quite a few years to go before they'll start thinking about replacing it.

[Revive 755]

While the main focus is on the Lafayette section, there is still quite a bot more of US-90 that needs to be upgraded before it can be signed as I-49. Particularly, they'll need to figure out what to do about the truss bridge over the Atchafalaya River at Morgan City and the at-grade intersections to the west of there through Idlewild, Patterson, and Calumet. Not to forget the at-grade section from Raceland to Boutte that will also require grade separations or bypasses. I think those will be the most expensive and technically challenging segments to upgrade after Lafayette, yet I don't see any real discussion about plans for those sections.

That bridge at Morgan City does not look worse than a good number of other bridges already on the interstate system, particularly the somewhat recently replaced Chain of Rocks Canal Bridge on I-270 in Illinois.  Looks to me like a good place for grandfathering or a Congressional override if necessary.

Streetview of the Bridge at Morgan City

Streetview of the new I-270 Chain of Rocks Canal Bridge.

[Rothman]

I wish there was a lot more of that "90% federal match" thing taking place. The Lafayette Connector is a very important project and it needs to get built already. But there's still several miles of US-90 to upgrade farther South just to get connected into that existing US-90 freeway segment near New Iberia.

Once the Lafayette Connector is completed it may still be quite some time before the I-49 designation is signed thru Lafayette due to the rules on where Interstate designations are allowed to end.

While the main focus is on the Lafayette section, there is still quite a bot more of US-90 that needs to be upgraded before it can be signed as I-49. Particularly, they'll need to figure out what to do about the truss bridge over the Atchafalaya River at Morgan City and the at-grade intersections to the west of there through Idlewild, Patterson, and Calumet. Not to forget the at-grade section from Raceland to Boutte that will also require grade separations or bypasses. I think those will be the most expensive and technically challenging segments to upgrade after Lafayette, yet I don't see any real discussion about plans for those sections.

I highly doubt they will do anything about the truss bridge. That bridge opened to traffic in 1975, so it is still fairly new. They will just leave it alone.

Over 50 years old also means possible historical preservation issues.