Tuesday’s Public Comments meeting about the I-49 inner city connector was well attended, with community members representing both the Committee of 100 as well as Allendale Strong. We were pleased to see such interest and glad to be able to speak with the media to let the public know the truth about all five options presented. Check out the following roundup of local media coverage, as well as links below for all of the information that NLCOG presented Tuesday. The public has until October 27 to submit any further comments using their online form, or by emailing info@i49shreveport.com.
Among other media pieces published, author Danielle Richard was quoted in the following two…
Allendale Strong member Danielle Richard submitted a public comment “My public comment is to separate through traffic from local traffic. That’s what’s been studied and proven to be most effective for cities and communities all over the world, not just Shreveport.” She also said that mega projects like this don’t perform as projected. “All together, that just equals a really bad fit for Shreveport. Not only would it hurt the Allendale neighborhood itself, it would also hurt the city of Shreveport.”
Click to watch video from KSLA
“This is not at all what we’ve been asking for,” Richard said. “The thing that has been proven to be effective in cities and neighborhoods all over the country is to separate through-traffic from local traffic. That means the part that goes through the city, it is not a good idea to make it an elevated interstate, and that’s what all four of these first options are today. That’s actually illegal. The federal government won’t let you build through a minority neighborhood like that, so all four of those options are going to be illegal.”
Richard said she supports the alternative to loop traffic around the outside of the city. She said Allendale Strong has recruited attorneys ready to sue should plans to build through Allendale go forward.
Click to read full article from the Shreveport Bossier Advocate