I see that Harold Schoeffler has chimed in with the same old, tired opposition to the I-49 Lafayette Connector freeway project that has been debated and debunked over the past 30 years. (“After all these years, Lafayette I-49 Connector still a bad idea.”) And, the opposition is as wrong now as it always has been regarding this long-overdue facility.
Funding of $30 million from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development covers the engineering and initial construction of the Kaliste Saloom Road interchange, but the remainder of the project’s funding cannot be produced until the project is officially approved with a Record of Decision from the Federal Highway Administration.
Considering the overwhelming support and prioritization of this project and the critical linkage to the overall I-49 South project between Lafayette and New Orleans, there should be little issue with staged funding. Also, no tolls would be required or even feasible for constructing any portion of I-49 South, especially not the connector segment…