Original Post: I-49 Extension
The Shreveport Connector through downtown is a final step to connecting Texarkana, AR and Lafayette, LA. The connector is part of a larger plan to extend I-49 from New Orleans to Winnipeg, Manitoba. A, $55 million, 4-mile stretch of new interstate connecting Martin Luther King Dr and LA 1 (North Market Street), was officially opened to traffic on May 31, 2017. The next phase connects I-49 north of Shreveport to I-49 south to Alexandria.
Shreveport and Louisiana officials see Interstate-49 in Shreveport as essential for attracting new economic development. According to them, transportation is number one or two of importance on a checklist of site selection factors for corporate and manufacturing executives. The route through highly developed, and primarily minority, areas of Shreveport aren't without controversy.
Some cities are relocating Interstates that divided neighborhoods devastating some communities. An article in The Atlantic reports on several cities undergoing or considering removal and revitalization plans. Shreveport sees the I-49 intown route as an economic development opportunity in itself. Shreveport newspaper The Times article reports on that community's issues and the Council's ultimate support for the controversial route.
Segments J and K, sections connecting Shreveport from I-220 north to I-49 to the south were just recently and currently being completed, as reported in this KSLA news story.
The segment from Lafayette, Louisiana to New Orleans is yet to begin. The route will follow much of US 90, a majority of which is already limited access. I-49 will intersect with I-10 in Lafayette and again in New Orleans as well as I-310.
The route is important to industry, particularly the petroleum industry. Texarkana, with a population of just 68,000 divided evenly between Texas and Arkansas, is already served by I-30 (itself suggested for extension). Nonetheless, officials see the new Interstate as a boon for economic development.
Interstate-14 was first proposed in 2005. In Georgia, transportation and political officials seized on the proposal as a way to tackle two issues with the present interstate system in that state. The state lacks East-West Interstate highways south of Atlanta. I-16 serves as the only East-West connection to Georgia's ports. Interstate travel between Georgia's second-tier cities is non-existent. The phrase "can't get there from here" is often heard when discussing travel between Augusta and Columbus, Georgia.
As discussed in earlier posts, the military readiness goals of I-14 are clear. While the original proposal has the new highway terminating in Natchez, Mississippi, others have wisely endorsed the route with proposals to extend it all the way to El Paso, Texas.
The Gulf Coast Strategic Highway System is proposed as an upgrade of
existing highways in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The objective is to provide better connectivity between Fort Bliss, Fort Hood and Fort Polk and the strategic ports at Corpus Christi and Beaumont. These improvements are needed to address military deployment and mobility efficiency. Approximately 40% of the military equipment and supplies deployed in the ongoing war efforts have moved over the docks at Corpus Christi and Beaumont, Texas.
Gulf Coast Strategic Highway website
The Texas plan is winning backers in the state house and from economic
development officials. Like Columbus, GA, Bryan/College Station TX is that states's largest metro without Interstate access. That has brought the backing of Texas A&M for the project. Business and economic developers recognize Interstates as the 'gold standard' for industry looking to re-locate or expand.
Unfortunately, no such similar group exists in the Georgia or Alabama. Alabama DOT does have plans to extend I-85 from Montgomery to the Mississippi border as is suggested in the proposed Eastern route of I-14. Georgia DOT issued this report to Connect Central Georgia in July 2013.
Since this Interstate proposal, the Georgia DOT has studied the East-West route between Macon andLaGrange, Georgia and found that suggested route for Interstate expansion to have the highest return on investment (ROI), primarily due to the location of the Kia Motors assembly plant in West Point, Troup County, Georgia in 2008. The Import/Export highway has a backer group with website. This proposal could easily be tied with the I-14 proposal as its western leg in Georgia.
