Better Freeway System Is Needed (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: schools, tax, living)

[quicksand66]

The baton rouge area keeps growing and the roads get more and more congested.The Baton Rouge bypass is needed and a north to south interstate corridor linking the midwest would be great.The bypass would need to be a full circle that thru trucks (18 wheelers) will have an option to stay out of the city.I lived in Jacksonville fla years ago and they just finished the 295/9a loop around the city and it's working quite well.Shreveport and Lake Charles have bypasses why not B.R.The other freeway ides is to turn the current I-110 into a full fledged interstate corridor linking s.w.mississippi,n.e.louisiana, arkansas, missouri, iowa,and maybe even minnesota.The number would be I-51 and it would be a direct link to natchez,little rock,springfield,mo and ending in des.moines,ia or even in alexandria, minnesota.The roads are just going to get more congested as time goes on,lets look to the future not the past.

[darylwi]

I do like your idea about the loop. We also need expanded capacity within the city itself. And we need synchronized traffic lights on the main arteries.

As far as "I-51" goes. I-49/US-71/I-29 will do that trick when it's completed. I don't know what the complete designation would be, but that route could be full limited access (interstate standard) very easily. Louisiana is working on connecting to Arkansas. Missouri is working on US 71 south of KC where the current I-29 terminates. The last main stretch is that area of US 71 through the Ozarks in Arkansas. Complete that and then you have 'I-51', midwest connector from Manitoba, Canada to South Louisiana.

I-69 is going the other way (NE to SW), from Detroit and Windsor, Canada to Mexico through Shreveport and Memphis.

[TNRyan23]

When is I-49 going to officially be built from Lafayette to New Orleans ?

I was down there as recently as Feb. last year and it still had the " future corridore " signs up.

My wife is from New Orleans and we were thinking about moving down to LA or Texas and tried to get people to answer in the New Orleans forum but got no replies, Can anyone DM me with info on Baton Rouge ? Jobs, ect, ect ?

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

When is I-49 going to officially be built from Lafayette to New Orleans ?

I was down there as recently as Feb. last year and it still had the " future corridore " signs up.

My wife is from New Orleans and we were thinking about moving down to LA or Texas and tried to get people to answer in the New Orleans forum but got no replies, Can anyone DM me with info on Baton Rouge ? Jobs, ect, ect ?

It's all a money issue. North of Shreveport, they broke ground on a rural segment of I-49 yesterday - because it's in a remote section of the state, getting that section built wasn't politically sexy. Between Lafayette and NO, I've heard US 90 is technically freeway quality. The tricky part is Lafayette because US 167 (where I-49 "dead ends") goes through the seedy yet historic center of town. And as such, there is a lot of disagreement as to where the I-49 route will go - I wouldn't be surprised if there is a lawsuit or two from disgruntled homeowners.

[darylwi]

I don't really see I-49 being completed thru Lafayette anytime soon. Heck, they might put in a loop around LAF before they extend 49 thru town. But a lot of US 90 between there and NOLA is up to standard. Especially Morgan City in between Houma and Thibodeaux to Raceland.

--As far as baton rouge, jobs and the etc etc, I would start a new thread detailing what it is exactly that you're looking for answers to. Then you might get a few good responses. It's hard to answer anything when the question is fairly vague. Not to mention we're under a 'freeway' thread, so other people might not look here to see your questions concerning relocation.--

[MetroBTR]

The loop around BR is badly needed. Hopefully it will bring more commerce into the northern part of the metro. Zachary has the potential to become a pretty major place if it gains better access to I-10 and I-12. I also hope that it will give West Feliciana Parish the growth that it deserves. They have done such a good job with their school system in recent years, it's a shame that schools in Ascension and Livingston are being overcrowded with new people when there is a school system almost--if not just--as good in West Feliciana. Their only problem right now is limited access. There is only one real connecter road between WF and EBR. I-110 should also be extended north into WF perhaps as a parallel to Samuels Road (hwy 61).

[Chris19]

Originally Posted by darylwi

I do like your idea about the loop. We also need expanded capacity within the city itself. And we need synchronized traffic lights on the main arteries.

As far as "I-51" goes. I-49/US-71/I-29 will do that trick when it's completed. I don't know what the complete designation would be, but that route could be full limited access (interstate standard) very easily. Louisiana is working on connecting to Arkansas. Missouri is working on US 71 south of KC where the current I-29 terminates. The last main stretch is that area of US 71 through the Ozarks in Arkansas. Complete that and then you have 'I-51', midwest connector from Manitoba, Canada to South Louisiana.

I-69 is going the other way (NE to SW), from Detroit and Windsor, Canada to Mexico through Shreveport and Memphis.

I have read about the I-49/US-71/I-29 route. I am entusiastic of the idea and would make interstate travelling more efficient in the Midwest and Mid-South areas. I-29 has been completed since the very last parts of it were finished in the early 1980s in northern South Dakota. US-71 is 4 lane between KC and Joplin, MO for sure with some stretches that will be upgraded to freeway standards in the future along with some stretches that are freeways and a similar setup south of Joplin to NW Arkansas. The path going between Texarkana and Ft. Smith areas will be the most difficult and will likely take awhile. I-49 is supposed to end in KC (after starting in Southern Louisiana). Where in KC the proposed I-49 ends is still up in the air.

As big as Baton Rouge is, it should have a beltway that circles around all or a signifacant portion of the city. Looking at it on a map, it has some similarities to Omaha: a busy east-west interstate and the size of the city. The thing that Baton Rouge is lacking is a north-south freeway leading into the city, most logically the I-51 route (upgrade the US 61 portions to freeway standards) to Vicksburg, to the future I-69 in SE Arkansas or Memphis area, or go past I-69 and head up to Pine Bluff and end in Little Rock, AR. This would utilize some exisiting roads, although some stretches may need to be upgraded.

[Rosinante]

There's a lot of talk from the new Federal administration about upgrades to the infrastructure of the country, and with the many comparisons to the FDR admin — especially its WPA style programs — it sounds like we have a good chance of seeing lots of new roads built and bridges repaired. The problem is that there just isn't a tax revenue over the next few years to accommodate that kind of spending (unless we print even more paper). Don't get me wrong, I'm all for making this a Marxist country as President-Elect Obama envisions, but it can't be done overnight, comrades.

Here in Louisiana, Governor Jindal is hard at work trying to avert the massive budget shortfalls that are projected over the next two years. Thursday's Advocate mentions shaving 300+ state jobs which is a start, but it will do nothing to help funding the highway projects we would all like to see.

[quicksand66]

[quote=darylwi;6777435]I do like your idea about the loop. We also need expanded capacity within the city itself. And we need synchronized traffic lights on the main arteries.

As far as "I-51" goes. I-49/US-71/I-29 will do that trick when it's completed. I don't know what the complete designation would be, but that route could be full limited access (interstate standard) very easily. Louisiana is working on connecting to Arkansas. Missouri is working on US 71 south of KC where the current I-29 terminates. The last main stretch is that area of US 71 through the Ozarks in Arkansas. Complete that and then you have 'I-51', midwest connector from Manitoba, Canada to South Louisiana.

I-69 is going the other way (NE to SW), from Detroit and Windsor, Canada to Mexico through Shreveport and Memphis.[/quote

I have driven future I-49 from I-40 (near fort smith) to I-70/I-35/I-29 in downtown Kansas city,mo. The road is mostly freeway with a few patches that need to worked on.the major project right now is the beela vista,ar bypass into missouri. North of Bella Vista missouri built a nice a freeway all the way into I-44 Joplin,mo.North of I-44 tehre is a litttle stretch of road yhat ends but it will continue in the future and connect with the current u.s.71 freeway.Between joplin and K.C. it's all 4 lanes with a few at grade intersections but you can tell that mo-dot left alot of cleared land for future interchanges and over passes.The interchange with mo-7 it's all limited access interstate standards into the I-435/I-470 u.s.50 interchange.There are 3 signal lights near downtown k.c. but that can easily be changed over to interstate standards.The reason why there are 3 lights on that section of new freeway is because of local oppositition to the new highway but mo dot saved enough right of way to transition it in the future.

[hdwell]

Seems with every legilative session, no one ever seems to learn about what if any road projects have been approved and funded. It's almost a total news blackout and for the life of me I don't know of much else the state would fund that is more important. The whole gang (leges) seems to be thinking about other uses than highways, etc. Beats me what they do down there.