Holden: Loop opponents ‘resorting to misinformation’

Mayor Kip Holden issued a statement today in an attempt to set the record straight on the much-debated interstate loop around Baton Rouge, in advance of public hearings on the project slated for next week. “Differences of opinion can be worked through, but it is unfortunate that some loop opponents are resorting to misinformation,” says Holden, who serves as chairman of the Capital Area Expressway Authority. Holden says opponents of the loop are alleging several far-fetched ideas in an attempt to kill the project. Among them, he says, they claim the project would require as much as a half-mile-wide corridor; that private property will be confiscated for the project without fair compensation; that it would create a “Great Wall of China” in Central; and that it would not ease traffic congestion. Holden says all these claims are false. “These stories would be laughable if they weren’t so damaging to any efforts to address traffic congestion in and around Baton Rouge,” Holden says. “Opponents do not offer any positive solutions, only a hope that we can live with the status quo.” Holden points out that the North Bypass portion of the loop has been in the state’s master plan for many years, and that traffic studies show that segment of the project could be built and paid for by toll revenue. Public hearings are scheduled next week in each of the five parishes that would be impacted by the loop. Read a recent Daily Report story to see all the details on the upcoming public hearings here.