Now that the Metro Council has agreed to throw the proposed and underfunded Pecue Lane and Interstate 10 interchange project a lifeline, the state can move forward with soliciting bids for a contract to clear land for the turn lanes and highway ramps, a Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development representative says.
LaDOTD Legislative Liaison Joshua Hollins told the council that process could begin as early as next month, as he urged the council to enter into a deal with the state that makes Baton Rouge responsible for any funding shortfall, if no other dollars become available.
Construction is expected to cost upwards of $43 million, according to the city-parish Green Light Plan. The interchange would help alleviate traffic congestion on Siegen Lane.
Approving the agreement has become a timely matter as a May 1 federal deadline was looming that would have invalidated studies on the project, Hollins and others reminded the council. If the council did nothing, supporters said, the process to build the interchange would have to start over.
George Kurz, of Kurz & Hebert Commercial Real Estate, said the deadline put the project at a critical juncture.
“We’ve raised $19 million to date,” said Kurz, who was one of the numerous people from the business, religious, government and health care communities who spoke in favor of the deal. “If we don’t do this, our expiration is going to go away and our studies are not going to be valid.”
The council didn’t appear to need much convincing, as they unanimously voted to allow Mayor Sharon Weston Broome to execute the agreement.
Also at its meeting Wednesday, the council cleared the way for Baton Rouge to vie for a starring role in a CBS reality TV show by Los Angeles-based Lock and Key Productions that would center on EMS paramedics.
Baton Rouge is one of at least three cities under consideration for the show. The production company would have several film crews in the city, with cameramen and stationary cameras in some ambulances.
The agreement allowed the company to film on the city’s property and meet with local paramedics, who would have to audition for the show. The next step, said Chad Guillot, is for the company to meet with the mayor’s administration and work out any legal issues with the parish attorney.
—Alexandria Burris
