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A Draft EIS was approved for public distribution and circulated in May 1992 and a Public Hearing was held on July 1, 1992. Following the Public Hearing, the Draft EIS was withdrawn on December 11, 1992, due to public comments and concerns.
In December 1997, LaDOTD restarted the project with a reconciled set of alternatives and the second Notice of Intent for the project was issued on April 14, 1998. The second Draft EIS was completed in November 2000 and a Public Hearing was held on December 14, 2000. Once comments were received (including those from federal, state, and local agencies as well as the public) and addressed, a Final EIS dated September 2002 was approved for public distribution. A Record of Decision (ROD) was issued by FHWA January 2003 based on analyses contained in the Draft EIS, the Final EIS, and the comments received from federal and state agencies, members of the public, and elected officials.
Following the approval of the ROD, the project has begun provisions to preserve the I-49 Alignment through use of the Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) Corridor Preservation and Management Action Plan to Preserve the I-49 Connector. As funding becomes available, design and construction will be implemented. The timeline for the project is shown below with some of the key documents produced as a result of the planning/environmental studies.
Phase II of the project, which is currently underway, consists of the following tasks:
- Develop the geometric layout with consideration to joint use and enhancement needs,
- Set right-of-way lines within the study area, and
- Begin corridor preservation.
I-49 Connector Timeline of Planning/Environmental Studies
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