DOTD Secretary Says Funding Is Major Concern for I-49 Innercity Connector
Getting the money lined up to fund the Innercity Connector for I-49 in Shreveport is a big concern. DOTD Secretary Dr. Shawn Wilson tells KEEL News is a project that will cost about $700 million dollars, but right now the state of Louisiana does not have the matching money that is needed to secure federal highway dollars.
We also talked to Dr. Wilson about concerns that someone in state government is holding up the approval of the project because of concerns about historic sites along the route in Allendale. We chatted with him about all of these issues.
Kent Rogers with the Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments tells KEEL News the cultural plan (which would involved all of the historic sites) was submitted to the state DOTD earlier this summer. A spokesperson for the Lt. Governor's Office says they have not gotten the paperwork yet. They believe it's still in the hands of the Federal Highway Administration.
Regardless of the approval process, we are still many years away from beginning work on this 3 mile stretch of the freeway.