(The Center Square) – Federal officials are expected to decide this year where the Interstate 49 Inner City Connector, plagued by local opposition and escalating costs, will be constructed in Shreveport.
The federal highway corridor is not continuous through Shreveport, stopping at I-20 in the south and I-220 in the north. The decades-old project would complete a roughly 3.5-mile section through the city, filling the missing gap.
A selected route for the long-awaited construction project was given to the Federal Highway Administration for review, said Kent Rogers, executive director of the Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments.
Opposition began to emerge in the mid-2000s from residents of the Allendale neighborhood and others who opposed the project for decades due to concerns for their community. New highways often displace homeowners and businesses.
“The preferred alternative has been identified, but can I identify it for y’all? No, I cannot,” Rogers said during his update with the Caddo Parish Commission. “At this time, we are not at liberty to say.”
It was selected from four build-through alternatives and one build-around alternative.The initial price tag was about $400 million and has since risen to $1 billion.
“We don’t anticipate any further delays,” Rogers said, adding that a formal public hearing is anticipated in the fall where the affected public can comment. A highway administration record of decision is the final step.
Rogers discussed how public comment helped drive decision-making throughout the process. In fact, he said a project of this scale would typically include about five public meetings, while this one has already held 38.
If the project can utilize what’s called the design-build process, Rogers expects the connector to be completed in five to seven years. The design-build method uses one entity to handle both design and construction through a single contract.
The state is ready to meet its funding requirements, Rogers said, pointing to the availability of several hundred million dollars through capital outlay, the state’s BP Deepwater Horizon account, and auto and sales tax revenue.
A fully completed I-49 will create a north-to-south corridor that links the Kansas City region to Lafayette, and the state’s Gulf region.
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Rogers said.
