Quick take
- The draft environmental impact statement for the I-49 Inner City Connector was resubmitted to Federal Highway Administration headquarters and its legal reviewers on the morning of Oct. 20, NLCOG Executive Director Kent Rogers said.
- FHWA headquarters returned its first comments Oct. 8, according to an Oct. 16 project update. Rogers said the remaining discussions don't change the recommendations.
- After approval, a notice in the Federal Register opens a 45-day comment period. A public hearing can come no sooner than day 30, and a federal decision about day 90.
- DOTD estimates the cost at $800 million to $1 billion. Rogers said the project has more than $150 million in state money so far.
The long study of the I-49 Inner City Connector, the planned link that would finish the interstate through Shreveport, has taken another step. The draft environmental impact statement went back to Federal Highway Administration headquarters and its legal reviewers on the morning of Oct. 20, North Louisiana Council of Governments Executive Director Kent Rogers told BIZ Magazine.
FHWA headquarters returned its first comments Oct. 8, according to an Oct. 16 project update for the regional planning board. Local officials announced the comments at a news conference that day, KTBS reported. Rogers said most have now been addressed. "We are in discussions with them about a few of the comments, but they are not issues that make changes to the recommendations," he said.
When the public gets a say
Once FHWA approves the draft, a Notice of Availability runs in the Federal Register. That starts the clock:
- Day 1: the draft is public and the comment period opens.
- Day 30: the earliest a public hearing can be held. Rogers said it will include an open viewing, written comments and a chance to speak.
- Day 45: comments close. They must stay open at least 10 days after the hearing.
- Day 90: the target for the federal Record of Decision, the final OK on the study.
The money
DOTD spokesperson Erin Buchanan said the latest cost estimate is $800 million to $1 billion, driven partly by building an elevated interstate and by inflation. Rogers said the project has more than $150 million in state funding. An updated cost will come out with the draft study.
Planning started with a state feasibility study in 2008. The project entered the federal environmental process in 2011.