INTERSTATE 49

'Interstate 49' (abbreviated 'I-49') is an intrastate interstate highway located entirely within the state of Louisiana in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is in Lafayette, Louisiana, at Interstate 10 while its northern terminus is in Shreveport, Louisiana, at Interstate 20.

Contents

Route description

History

Future

Louisiana

Arkansas

Missouri

Exit list

References

External links

Route description

Major cities 'Bolded cities' are officially-designated control cities for signs
★ 'Lafayette' ★ 'Opelousas' ★ 'Alexandria' ★ Natchitoches ★ 'Shreveport'

I-49 begins its journey in Lafayette multiplexed with U.S. Route 167 from I-10 to Opelousas at Exit 23. At Lafayette, motorists continuing southbound sees the interstate highway change to U.S. 167 (Evangeline Thruway), a major thoroughfare taking travelers towards the heart of Lafayette.
After leaving Opelousas, I-49 traverses the relative flat, fertile farmlands until reaching Alexandria. From there, the highway roughly follows the Red River and Louisiana 1, bypassing the historic city of Natchitoches to the west on its way to Shreveport. At Shreveport, the highway parallels a railroad line just to the east until its terminus at I-20 southwest of downtown.

History

The original plans for interstate highways in Louisiana only included Interstates 10 and 20 with no connection in between. After Interstate 55 was added in the 1950s, the state considered building a toll road to connect I-10 in southwestern Louisiana and I-20 in the northern part of the state, but later rejected the idea.
In the mid 1970s, The Federal Highway Administration approved an Interstate highway to run between I-10 and I-20, beginning at I-10 in Lafayette and ending at I-20 in Shreveport. The mileage was gained from mileage released from other highways the state did not build as well as 153 miles from a supplemental reserve.^[2]
Construction of I-49 began in the early 1980s and after several delays, most of the highway was open by the early 1990s. The entire length of the 212-mile road was completed May 1, 1996 when a 16.6 mile section of highway in Alexandria named the Martin Luther King Jr. Highway was completed. The total cost of I-49's construction was about $1.38 billion, making it the second longest interstate highway that began and ended in a single state.

Future

Long-term plans call for I-49 to be extended southeastward from Lafayette to New Orleans; and northward from Shreveport to Kansas City, Missouri.
Construction for the extension north is already underway in southwest Missouri, northern and southwestern Arkansas, and in northern Louisiana.
These plans may result in pieces of this interstate being disconnected. Once Arkansas and Missouri finish the Bella Vista Bypass, mentioned below, both states plan to rename I-540/U.S. 71 as I-49^[3] long before construction begins across west-central Arkansas.

Louisiana

State transportation officials are currently working on plans to extend Interstate 49 to the south and east, from Lafayette to New Orleans roughly following the path of the current U.S. 90, which is at present a four-lane divided highway between the two cities. However, from Morgan City to near Raceland, U.S. 90 is an interstate-standard freeway, bypassing Houma to the north.
In the immediate New Orleans area, I-49 is planned to follow the route of the U.S. 90 Business (also known locally as the Westbank Expressway) through Westwego, Gretna and across the Crescent City Connection into downtown New Orleans, ending at I-10. "Future I-49" signage is visible along U.S. 90 and U.S. 90 Business, although as of 2007, construction has yet to begin.
In addition to the southeastward extension, Louisiana officials are also working on clearing and grubbing and drainage for the new extension from Shreveport to the Arkansas line. The construction roughly parallels U.S. 71 northward from I-220. In Shreveport, I-49 is also proposed to be rerouted along Louisiana 3132/Inner Loop Expressway and multiplexed with I-220 from I-20 to its proposed alignment near U.S. 71.[1] The stretch of the current I-49 between the Inner Loop and I-20 is likely to become an interstate spur.

Arkansas

In southern Arkansas State Highway 549 has been built between Texarkana and Doddridge, 5 miles from the state line. It is presently being constructed to complete the routing to the state line.
Construction has not began in west-central Arkansas. It is planned to follow the general route of U.S. 71 through the state between Interstate 30 and Interstate 40.
North of I-40, a map shows the two disconnected pieces of the Interstate. South of the disconnect it is labeled I-540. The bypass being planned will go around Bella Vista. Many motorists in Arkansas and Missouri, especially truckers, are desperate to see the highway fully connected and flowing due to current traffic congestion.

Missouri

In Missouri, all of U.S. 71 from Anderson to Joplin has already been upgraded to interstate standards. A short bypass of Joplin, Missouri State Route 249 is being built as an eastern city bypass and is a possible extension of I-49 north. The bypass south of Anderson, MO is being upgraded to interstate standards.
Heading north, many sections of divided highway still have at grade intersections between Joplin and Harrisonville, yet are easily upgradeable. From Harrisonville to the south end of Kansas City at The Grandview Triangle - where U.S. 71 and Interstates 435 and 470 converge - the road is already built to interstate standards.
In central and southern Kansas City, much of U.S. 71, has been realigned to Bruce R. Watkins Drive, which connects the Interstate 70/Interstate 670 interchange in downtown Kansas City with south Kansas City with Interstate 435 and Interstate 470. Many neighborhood associations in Kansas City have objected to the upgrading U.S. 71 to freeway. Three at-grade intersections - Gregory Boulevard (71st Street), 59th Street and 55th Street - prevent the I-49 designation north of The Grandview Triangle.

Exit list

Parish	Location	#	Destinations	Notes
Southern terminus - 20 px Interstate 10 - Lafayette, Louisiana 25 px continues northward cosigned with 20 px
Lafayette	Lafayette		I-10 east - Baton Rouge
		1A	I-10 west - Lake Charles
		1B	Pont Des Mouton Road
		2	20 px LA 98 (Gloria Switch Road)
	Carencro	4	LA 726 - Carencro
		7	20 px LA 182
Saint Landry	Grand Coteau	11	20 px LA 93 - Sunset, Grand Coteau
	Opelousas	15	LA 3233 (Harry Guilbeau Road)
		17	Judson Walsh Drive
		18	20 px Louisiana Highway 31 (Creswell Lane)
		19	U.S. Route 190 - Baton Rouge, Opelousas	Splits into exits 19A (Baton Rouge) and 19B (Opelousas) northbound.
		23	U.S. Route 167 north/LA 744 - Ville Platte	US 167 joins southbound and splits northbound.
	Washington	25	20 px LA 103 - Washington, Port Barre
		27	20 px LA 10 - Lebeau
	40	20 px LA 29 - Ville Platte
Avoyelles		46	25 px LA 106 - St. Landry
		53	25 px LA 115 - Bunkie
Rapides		56	25 px LA 181 - Cheneyville
		61	U.S. 167 - Turkey Creek, Meeker
		66	25 px LA 112 - Forest Hill, Lecompte
	Woodworth	73	LA 3265 - Woodworth
	Alexandria	80	2 px U.S. Route 71/U.S. 167 south (MacArthur Drive)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance.
		80	2 px U.S. 71 south/U.S. 167 south (MacArthur Drive)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance. 20 px begins northbound and ends southbound.
		81	20 px 20 px LA 3250/ U.S. 71 north (Sugarhouse Road) - MacArthur Drive	Southbound exit and northbound entrance.
		83	Broadway Avenue
		84	2 px 2 px 20 px U.S. 167 north/LA 28 east/LA 1 (Pineville Expressway) - Casson Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance. U.S. 167 joins southbound and splits northbound. Access to 20 px . LA 28 joins northbound and exits southbound.
		84	2 px 20 px U.S. 167 north/LA 28 east (Pineville Expressway)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance. LA 28 joins northbound and leaves southbound.
		85A	Martin Luther King Drive, Downtown Alexandria	Northbound exit and southbound entrance.
		85A	2 px 20 px 2 px 20 px U.S. Route 165 / LA 1 (Elliot Street) - Downtown Alexandria	Southbound exit and northbound entrance.
		85B	Monroe Street, Medical Center Drive	Northbound exit and southbound entrance.
		86	2 px U.S. 71/U.S. Route 165 (MacArthur Drive)	LA 28 joins southbound and leaves northbound. 20 px begins southbound and ends northbound.
		90	25 px LA 498 (Air Base Road)
		94	Parish Road 23 (Rapides Station Road)
		98	20 px LA 1 - Boyce	Northbound exit and southbound entrance.
		99	20 px LA 8 east/LA 1200 - Boyce	LA 8 joins northbound and leaves southbound.
		103	20 px LA 8 west - Flatwoods	LA 8 joins southbound and leaves northbound.
		107	Lena
Natchitoches		113	25 px LA 490 - Chopin
		119	25 px LA 119 - Cloutierville
		127	25 px LA 120 - Flora, Cypress
	Natchitoches	132	25 px LA 478
		138	20 px LA 6 - Many, Natchitoches
		142	Parish Road 547 (Posey Road)
		148	25 px LA 485 - Allen, Powhatan
		155	25 px LA 174 - Ajax, Lake End
De Soto		162	2 px 25 px U.S. Route 371/LA 177 - Pleasant Hill, Coushatta
		169	Asseff Road
		172	U.S. Route 84 - Mansfield, Grand Bayou
		177	25 px LA 509 - Carmel
		186	25 px LA 175 - Kingston, Frierson
		191	LA 3276/Parish Road 16 - Stonewall
Caddo		196	Southern Loop
	Shreveport	199	25 px LA 526 (Bert Kouns Industrial Loop)
		201	LA 3132 - Dallas, TX, Texarkana
		202	25 px LA 511 (East 70th Street)
		203	Hollywood Avenue, Pierremont Road
		205	Kings Highway
		206	I-20 - Dallas, Monroe	Northbound exit and southbound entrance.
20 px Northern terminus - 20 px Interstate 20 in Shreveport I-49 continues north as Pete Harris Drive Murphy Street continues south as I-49

References

1. Louisiana Interstate Highway Log
2. 50th Anniversary Interstate Highway System: Previous Facts of the Day Federal Highway Administration. retrieved 27 May, 2007.
3. Kennedy, Wally. Plan holds 2008 finish for Range Line Bypass, The Joplin (MO) Globe, published 11 May, 2007.

External links

★ I-49 South Project

★ I-49 Connector in Lafayette, LA

★ Future I-49 South Pictures (Stephen Gantry)

★ Future I-49 South Pictures (Andy P. Jung)