Seventeen properties to be affected by I-10 widening project

Seventeen properties, including the Overpass Merchant gastropub on Perkins Road, could be demolished or moved to make way for the widening of Interstate 10 through Baton Rouge, according to an environmental assessment released Tuesday.

The assessment—originally expected to be released last fall—is long-awaited as it addresses the potential impacts that dozens of businesses could feel from the project’s impact, including increased traffic or road closures.

The statement identifies 17 properties, including multiple small businesses, that could be acquired by DOTD for the widening project. Along with The Overpass Merchant, Fresh Salon on Christian Street is also listed among the 17 properties. 

Other businesses near the Perkins Overpass area may still feel significant effects, the statement reads, because of parking closures during construction. 

To mitigate the effects to the area, DOTD plans to create a multiuse path from the Perkins Road Overpass to Perkins Road near the Acadian Village Shopping Center, new parking areas and new green spaces. The promenade proposed between Perkins Road and a new proposed parking lot adjacent to Parrain’s will include planter boxes, benches and a pedestrian crossing to the Acadian Village Shopping Center. 

A pair of public hearings will be held before the $1.1 billion project is forwarded to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration for approval. The first meeting will be held at 5 p.m., Nov. 19, at the West Baton Rouge Conference Center in Port Allen, while a second meeting will be held at 5 p.m., Nov. 20, at the Baton Rouge Marriott. Read the full report, here.