Interstate 49 in Louisiana

This article is about the section of Interstate 49 in Louisiana. For the entire length of the highway, see Interstate 49.

Interstate 49
Route information
Maintained by Louisiana DOTD
Length:	208.25 mi (335.15 km)
Existed:	1984 – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-10 / US 167 in Lafayette
	US 190 in Opelousas US 167 north of Opelousas US 71 / US 167 in Alexandria US 71 / US 165 in Alexandria US 371 south of Evelyn US 84 east of Mansfield LA 3132 in Shreveport
North end:	I-20 in Shreveport
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Business Louisiana Highway System Interstate US State ← LA 48 LA 49 →

Interstate 49 near Chopin

Interstate 49 (I-49) is an Interstate Highway that spans a total of 208.25 miles (335.15 km) in a north–south direction in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It runs from I-10 in Lafayette to I-20 in Shreveport, largely paralleling the older US 71 corridor, and connects the state's two east–west interstates at two of its metropolitan centers. Along the way, it serves the cities of Opelousas, Alexandria, and Natchitoches, intersecting several cross-state U.S. routes, such as US 190, US 167, US 165, and US 84.

I-49 was an intrastate Interstate Highway until December 12, 2012, when the designation was officially approved for an upgraded portion of US 71 in Missouri running from Joplin north to Kansas City. Portions of the remaining roadway between Shreveport and Joplin are in various stages of planning or construction, as well as a southern extension of the route from Lafayette to New Orleans along the US 90 corridor.

Route description

I-49 begins its journey in Lafayette concurrent with U.S. Route 167 from I-10 to Opelousas at Exit 23. At Lafayette, motorists continuing southbound see the interstate highway change to U.S. 90 (Evangeline Thruway), a major thoroughfare taking travelers towards the heart of Lafayette. North of Lafayette, motorists on I-49 will parallel the ancient Mississippi river bed north of Carencro, and through Grand Coteau, just south of Opelousas.

After leaving Opelousas, I-49 traverses the relatively 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 west until its terminus at I-20 southwest of downtown.

The heaviest traffic on I-49 occurs within the cities of Shreveport and Opelousas. The stretch of freeway in Shreveport sees an average of 70,000 vehicles per day, while the stretch of freeway between Lafayette and Carencro sees an average of 55,000 vehicles per day, and the stretch of freeway through Opelousas sees an average of 45,000 vehicles per day between the Judson Walsh Drive and Creswell Lane exits.

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 states did not build as well as 153 miles (246 km) from a supplemental reserve.

Construction of I-49 began in the early 1980s, the first signed segment from I-10 to Washington, Louisiana, opened in 1984. After several delays, most of the highway was open by the early 1990s. The entire length of the 212-mile (341 km) road was completed May 1, 1996 when a 16.6-mile (26.7 km) 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.

Future expansion

Interstate 49 North is a 36-mile construction project that will connect I-220 in Shreveport to the Arkansas state line. This project has been divided into 11 segments. Of the 11 segments, 4 are complete and 5 are under construction As of November 2012 and $460 million of $622 million needed to complete the project has been secured.

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.

Future corridor I-49 sign in Lafayette, LA

In the Lafayette area, the project is divided into two projects, the I-49 Connector and the rest of the interstate from the Lafayette Regional Airport to LA 88. The I-49 Connector has a record of decision and is currently in the process of formulating the Environmental Impact Study. It is planned to be a six-lane elevated freeway, passing to the West of the current Evangeline Thruway corridor, as to be closer to the Central Business District in Downtown Lafayette. The rest of the freeway from the airport to LA 88 will be an at grade six-lane freeway with a two mile (3 km) segment of eight-lane elevated freeway through the suburb of Broussard.

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 2010, construction has yet to begin.

In addition to the southeastward extension, Louisiana officials are also working on clearing, 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 concurrent with I-220 from I-20 to its proposed alignment near U.S. 71. The stretch of the current I-49 between the Inner Loop and I-20 is likely to become an interstate spur. Plans are underway to connect I-49 at the I-20 interchange with I-49 North in the vicinity of the I-220 interchange.

Exit list

Parish	Location	Mile	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Lafayette	Lafayette	0.0	0.0		US 167 south – Lafayette	Southern terminus; south end of US 167 concurrency
		0.0– 0.6	0.0– 1.0	1A–B	I-10 east – Baton Rouge I-10 west – Lake Charles	Signed as Exit 1A to Baton Rouge and 1B to Lake Charles; Exit 103A–B on I-10
		1.0– 1.6	1.6– 2.6	1C	Pont Des Mouton Road
	Lafayette–Carencro line	2.5– 3.2	4.0– 5.1	2	LA 98 (Gloria Switch Road)
	Carencro	4.5– 5.1	7.2– 8.2	4	LA 726 – Carencro	Eastern terminus of LA 726
		7.4– 8.1	11.9– 13.0	7	LA 182
St. Landry	Grand Coteau	11.1– 11.8	17.9– 19.0	11	LA 93 – Sunset, Grand Coteau
	Opelousas	15.8– 16.4	25.4– 26.4	15	LA 3233 (Harry Guilbeau Road)	Eastern terminus of LA 3233
		17.4– 18.0	28.0– 29.0	17	Judson Walsh Drive
		18.7– 19.2	30.1– 30.9	18	LA 31 (Creswell Lane)
		19.5– 20.3	31.4– 32.7	19A–B	US 190 east – Baton Rouge US 190 west – Opelousas	Signed southbound as Exit 19A to Baton Rouge and 19B to Opelousas
		23.5– 24.1	37.8– 38.8	23	US 167 north / LA 744 – Ville Platte	North end of US 167 concurrency; western terminus of LA 744
	Washington	25.4– 25.7	40.9– 41.4	25	LA 103 – Washington, Port Barre
		27.4– 28.2	44.1– 45.4	27	LA 10 – Lebeau
Evangeline	No major junctions
St. Landry		40.4– 41.0	65.0– 66.0	40	LA 29 – Ville Platte
Evangeline	No major junctions
Avoyelles		46.9– 47.6	75.5– 76.6	46	LA 106 – St. Landry
		53.8– 54.5	86.6– 87.7	53	LA 115 – Bunkie
Evangeline	No major junctions
Rapides		56.9– 57.7	91.6– 92.9	56	LA 181 – Cheneyville
		61.4– 62.1	98.8– 99.9	61	US 167 – Turkey Creek, Meeker
	Lecompte	66.9– 67.5	107.7– 108.6	66	LA 112 – Forest Hill, Lecompte
	Woodworth	73.5– 74.3	118.3– 119.6	73	LA 3265 / PR 22 – Woodworth	Eastern terminus of LA 3265
	Alexandria	80.4– 81.5	129.4– 131.2	80	US 71 / US 167 south (MacArthur Drive)	South end of US 71 Bypass and US 167 concurrency; southern terminus of US 71 Bypass and US 167 Business; southbound exit to US 71 north is via Exit 81
		82.3	132.4	81	LA 3250 north (MacArthur Drive) to US 71	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		83.7– 84.5	134.7– 136.0	83	Broadway Avenue
		84.9– 85.8	136.6– 138.1	84	US 167 north / LA 28 east (Pineville Expressway) LA 1 (Casson Street)	North end of US 167 concurrency; south end of LA 28 concurrency
		85.2– 86.5	137.1– 139.2	85A	M.L. King Drive – Downtown Alexandria (northbound) Elliot Street to LA 1 – Downtown Alexandria (southbound)
		85.8	138.1	85B	Monroe Street, Medical Center Drive	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		86.6– 87.6	139.4– 141.0	86	US 71 / US 165 (MacArthur Drive)	North end of US 71 Bypass and LA 28 concurrency; northern terminus of US 71 Bypass; Exit 71A–B on US 71/US 165
		90.5– 91.3	145.6– 146.9	90	LA 498 (Air Base Road)	Western terminus of LA 498; to Alexandria International Airport
	Rapides	94.8– 95.6	152.6– 153.9	94	PR 23 (Rapides Station Road)
		98.9– 99.1	159.2– 159.5	98	LA 1 – Boyce	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Boyce	99.8– 100.7	160.6– 162.1	99	LA 8 east / LA 1200 – Boyce	South end of LA 8 concurrency
	Rodemacher	103.5– 104.1	166.6– 167.5	103	LA 8 west – Flatwoods	North end of LA 8 concurrency
	Lena	108.0– 108.8	173.8– 175.1	107	Lena
Natchitoches	Chopin	113.9– 114.7	183.3– 184.6	113	LA 490 – Chopin
	Derry	119.4– 120.2	192.2– 193.4	119	LA 119 – Cloutierville
	Cypress	127.9– 128.8	205.8– 207.3	127	LA 120 – Flora, Cypress
	Natchitoches	133.0– 133.7	214.0– 215.2	132	LA 478
		138.4– 139.0	222.7– 223.7	138	LA 6 – Many, Natchitoches
		143.1– 143.8	230.3– 231.4	142	PR 547 (Posey Road)
	Allen	149.0– 149.9	239.8– 241.2	148	LA 485 – Allen, Powhatan
		155.4– 156.3	250.1– 251.5	155	LA 174 – Ajax, Lake End
De Soto		163.0– 163.7	262.3– 263.4	162	US 371 / LA 177 – Pleasant Hill, Coushatta	Southern terminus of US 371
		170.0– 170.8	273.6– 274.9	169	Asseff Road
		173.1– 173.8	278.6– 279.7	172	US 84 – Mansfield, Grand Bayou
		177.8– 178.4	286.1– 287.1	177	LA 509 – Carmel
		186.7– 187.3	300.5– 301.4	186	LA 175 – Kingston, Frierson
		191.9– 192.6	308.8– 310.0	191	LA 3276 / PR 16 – Stonewall	Eastern terminus of LA 3276
Caddo		197.1– 197.8	317.2– 318.3	196	Southern Loop
	Shreveport	199.9– 200.8	321.7– 323.2	199	LA 526 (Bert Kouns–Industrial Loop)
		201.3– 202.4	324.0– 325.7	201	LA 3132 (Inner Loop Expressway) – To Dallas, To Texarkana	Signed northbound with destinations, southbound with local name
		203.3– 203.8	327.2– 328.0	202	LA 511 (East 70th Street)
		204.2– 204.8	328.6– 329.6	203	Hollywood Avenue, Pierremont Road
		206.0– 206.6	331.5– 332.5	205	Kings Highway
		206.9– 207.6	333.0– 334.1	206	I-20 – Dallas, Monroe	No northbound entrance; Exit 17B on I-20
		207.6	334.1		Pete Harris Drive, Murphy Street	Southern terminus; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		Concurrency terminus       Closed/former       HOV only       Incomplete access       Tolled/ETC       Unopened

External links

Template:Attached_KML/Interstate 49 in Louisiana

• Interstate Guide: I-49
• I-49 Energy Corridor
• I-49 North (Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development)
• I-49 Report
• Interstate49.org
• I-49 Inner-City Connector-Shreveport
• I-49 Inner City Connector map (Shreveport, LA)
• I-49 Connector (Lafayette, LA)
• Future I-49 South Pictures (Stephen Gantry)
• Future I-49 South Pictures (Andy P. Jung)

Interstate 49
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