Eleven proposed changes to the Interstate 49 Lafayette Connector plan originally approved in 2003 sparked lots of questions Thursday from the Community Working Group tasked with narrowing the options.
The Daily Advertiser reports volunteer citizens—representing a wide range of the community, from neighborhoods around the proposed interstate to pastors, environmental groups and bicyclists—are expected to meet again April 28 to begin evaluating and selecting options for further consideration.
The refinement alternatives all keep the main route of the proposed 5.5-mile Lafayette Connector in the same footprint as the 2003 plan. Some of the options include: constructing Tight Urban Diamond Interchanges at Johnston Street and Second and Third street and eliminating the Second/Third streets interchange but keeping the Johnston Street interchange or vice versa.
Gary Heitman, of the consulting firm Stantec, said that with any of the 12 options a “signature bridge” or other nice design elements can be included, but he cautioned that aesthetics must be balanced out with cost considerations during the evaluation process.
Several CWG members asked about the height of the interstate and ramps.
“If the bridge is too low on my end, I know that it’s going to be a big draw for the homeless population that already lives in my neighborhood,” Mills Addition resident Krista Fontenot said. “The lower it is, the more inviting it’s going to be for loiterers.”
Others had questions about building underpasses so traffic travels under the railroad tracks. The railroad company would prefer underpasses wherever possible to eliminate vehicular traffic crossing the tracks, Heitman said.
Lafayette Connector Project consultant Steve Wallace noted that a permit is needed from the railroad for every at-grade crossing.
“Can we depress the railroad (tracks)?” Kate Durio of the 705 group asked. “Can we ask the question? If we’re going to be cost conscious about this, shouldn’t we be weighing these options?”
