re: "Inner Loop" being studied, Mayor has a mad legislature wasn't clued in

quote:

---

Only being able to cut higher education to balance the budget, not being able to fund infrastructure upgrades, etc.

---

Not true.

The legislature is in session right now. The governor has submitted his budget. They can cut just about any agency they want right now in the budget but they choose not to.

Any bills or amendments that cut agencies, especially if they cut contracts are squashed by the administration.

What you're talking about is when you have a mid-year shortfall. The governor can't just willie nilly cut things that were already passed by the legislature. Thats why planning is important.

You'd think Louisiana would be swimming in money with all the "economic development", multiplier effects, O&G, seafood, agriculture, movie industry, and billions still coming in for disaster recovery.

Anyway, this loop expects trucks to pay extra money to go around town to travel across the old bridge. I suspect the current proposal is flawed.

quote:

---

I agree. They'd need to install u-turn lanes like Houston does.
If they can keep using the old bridge, this might be a pretty affordable option compared to other alternatives.

---

I also want everyone to step back and realize this isn't THE solution to THE problem. It's one solution to one problem.

The interstates are being widened. The GLP is still going on. There is also the state roads donated to the City/Parish initiative that just started getting traction where the state will donate old state roads (Perkins, Government, etc.) back to the City/Parish along with maintenance funds, which the City/Parish will then use those funds for immediate upgrades.

:it's happening:

You know what word is non existent in Lake Charles vocabulary? NIMBY. We're putting in a new on ramp onto 210 right here:



There was a house right here
that needed to be cleared for the on ramp and the family made a big stink about it. You know what the city told them?

Lake Chuck is getting some upgrades soon, too.

how do you think they'd maintain both a 70mph corridor down Airline and control of access along it? they'd need overpasses at major intersections.

quote:

---

So how do you make a currently free area of trasit a toll trasit and its part of a solution?

---

quote:

---

Asked if a toll road would work, Jindal said: “Let’s see what the study says. My position on tolls has always been it needs to be new capacity, you shouldn’t toll existing capacity, there should be a free alternative so it’s not the only way to go

---

I just really need to see the plan for that. If you made Airline a toll road entirely just because you add a couple of lanes then you just cut BR in half. How is that a good thing?

Sounds like they want to build a freeway in a new, wider median of Airline......which will still exist without tolls for local traffic. Think of it as Beltway 8 in parts or Houston but smaller.

That's not a bad plan. The right of way is there, and it's an established route already.

In most places, Airline through the city has a very wide strip within its right-of-way. They could probably accommodate a 4 or 6 lane freeway if they moved the existing lanes out an widened the median.

It's not going to be 18 lanes, but it would move a lot of traffic and be a good highway to connect more surface arteries to....

Airline would be a nice hub from which you can establish secondary routes into Central and Livingston - including a new bridge at Hooper in the future.