The South's $12 Billion Future Interstate - Will I-49 Ever be Finished?

Подписаться 58 тыс.

Просмотров 52 тыс.

50% 1

✵ The South's $12 Billion Future Interstate - Will I-49 Ever be Finished?
✵ The idea of a modern new interstate has become very divisive, with some states continuing with the idea that new highways will improve traffic in their states and are worth the money and effort, with some halting any future plans due to environmental concerns and public backlash. Places like North Carolina & Texas have no problems with the idea of building new highways, and have new interstates in the works. Something that I’ve found is that usually places in the south are more onboard with new interstates, maybe due to political reasons, OR maybe due to the growth being experienced in these states, putting them behind in infrastructure. Today we move back to the south to talk about another future interstate project, this time I-49. A planned route that would run from the lower-midwest into the deep south. Connecting a more central route in the country and greatly helping three states.
✵ Help Out The Channel And Become A Member With Awesome Perks!
/ beavergeography
✵ Socials:
Discord Server: / discord
Twitter: / beavergeography
Shorts Channels: / @beavergeographyshorts
Minecraft Channel: / beaverman1
TikTok: / beaver_geography
✵ Contact Me!
beavergeography@gmail.com
✵ Thumbnail Maker:
/ @bradwhitegolf
/ bradwhitegolf

Опубликовано:

8 сен 2023

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 362

@MrChilili 10 месяцев назад

We made tens of thousands of miles of interstates between 1955 and 1975 yet now we can’t build something like this

@dave_dynasty 10 месяцев назад

Back then, they didn't care how freeways would impact people and the environment

@Mcfunface 10 месяцев назад

@@dave_dynastyAs if the government cares about the people today 😅

@jacksons1010 10 месяцев назад

@@Mcfunface Depends on who is in power…elections matter. 🇺🇸

@Geotpf 10 месяцев назад

Construction costs, environmental issues, land acquisition costs, lawsuits, local opposition are all things that slow down or stop any new big project these days.

@sams3015 10 месяцев назад

@@Mcfunfaceit’s nothing to do with governments caring (out of “goodness” at least) but nowadays people are more likely to speak up on things just thanks to social media and less trust in the establishment in both left & right

@TheInsaneChef 9 месяцев назад

The part missing in Shreveport drives me absolutely insane. It would be so easy to use the 220 and 20, instead it dumps you into a residential neighborhood then through the west side of downtown just to start the interstate again.

@jeannewilson1655 10 месяцев назад

We've been waiting decades for I-49 to be able to bypass Baton Rouge. I-10 in BR is the world's worst engineering disaster. Having to merge into one lane to continue east over the Mississippi River is crazy. Traffic is always miles long and during evacuations, it is a life-endangering bottleneck.

@roadtoad7704 10 месяцев назад

OTR trucker here. It doesn't help that every one on the West Bank seems to gets off work at the same time. Then cross the bridge and try to merge to 1 lane once over it.

@aaronholcomb237 9 месяцев назад

My brother lived in Baton Rouge and he didn't like the traffic there, especially during LSU football games. He lived within reasonable walking distance of Tiger Stadium so he didn't have to drive to the games he did go to, but he could see what kind of traffic they had near there.

@Irishfan 9 месяцев назад

Seams more important than I-49 getting built would be a new wider bridge being built on I-10 over the Mississippi.

@Rexluna1 9 месяцев назад

Bro what are you even talking about that bridge is 3 lanes each way. The traffic is terrible, but get out of here with that 1 lane nonsense 🤡

@Rexluna1 9 месяцев назад

@@aaronholcomb237the traffic in Baton Rouge is the way it is in large part because of the sprawl that white flight caused to the outer suburbs while the actual city of Baton Rouge’s tax revenue plummeted from it, leading to less money to maintain and then upgrade roads when Katrina added tens of thousands of people in population overnight. That city has a lot of road needs, and it needs to come up with a way to limit sprawl to save further valuable swamp destruction (developing on swamps is what made the 2016 floods so bad in the first place).

@Albennnn 10 месяцев назад

Shreveport resident here. The neighborhood due to be split in half by the inner-city connector, Allendale, is predominately low-income and black, and the city has a history of splitting these neighborhoods down the middle with highway construction (as many US cities did in the 50s/60s.) Allendale is one of the few neighborhoods that's been able to hold out on their destruction. I travel 3132 every day and it would not take much effort to update it to interstate standards, and it would not displace thousands of people.

@Mcfunface 10 месяцев назад

The freeways in Shreveport are so rough, what's the deal with that?

@rlg1976x 10 месяцев назад

I'd be for the bypass option as well. More affordable, less opposition without destroying neighborhoods.

@Albennnn 10 месяцев назад

@@Mcfunface A lack of federal and state funding combined with a dwindling tax base resulting from 30 years of population loss. The recent federal grants are being used to update our interstates, but we simply don’t have the funds to repair the remaining roads. Most of Louisiana’s transport funding is allocated to the south of the state due to the larger population and relative need for more infrastructure in marshy areas.

@shvdfw 10 месяцев назад

Shreveport would be smart to upgrade the interstates it’s already got rather than building a new one to save 5 minutes for truckers. The only people advocating for the inner city connector are the ones who’s pockets will get padded from the construction.

@MoneyC225 10 месяцев назад

@@Mcfunface Construction started this week to rehabilitate I-20 in Bossier City. It's badly needed.

@pok30306 9 месяцев назад

Lafayette to New Orleans should have a different number, probably a 3 digit. That way it could be signed East-West. I-249 ("to" 49) would work great.

@tropicalstorm24 2 месяца назад

I didn't even think about that. I always thought it should be I-6🤣

@Mockingbird_Taloa 10 месяцев назад

I live in the Ouachita Mountain portion of the Choctaw Nation in SE Okl. (real close to the boarder with Arkansas). I'd looooove for I-49 to finally get built between Texarkana and Ft Smith. There aren't many north-south routes across the Nation east of US-69 (and that ought to be I-45!), and none of them offer safe passage through the mountains in bad weather, or would serve as good evacuation routes in case of a wildfire. Being that interstates are usually built with those things in mind, I'd love to see one along US-71 like what was proposed. There's an awful lot of people it'd serve, and it may well cut down on some of the truck traffic we have on US-271 PLUS provide some relief to US-69 (it can be dang near impossible to cross in some of the small towns it splits--it wasn't built with the immense amount of truck transit it experiences in mind!)

@PolPotsPieHole 9 месяцев назад

you live in arguably the prettiest part of Oklahoma, I used to camp/cabin at Cedar lake many years ago.

@TheEmoWeatherGuy 9 месяцев назад

i live in Hackett, just south of Fort Smith, and travel south on 71 thru Mena down to southern Arkansas often for storm chasing, and i absolutely agree. it would make chasing so much easier

@Mockingbird_Taloa 8 месяцев назад

@@PolPotsPieHole I live not too far from Cedar Lake, it’s an amazing part of the world. Can’t get anywhere quick around here, and there isn’t a real grocery store for an hour in any direction, but we at least have good scenery!

@PolPotsPieHole 8 месяцев назад

@@Mockingbird_Taloa awesome....thats the beauty of it. I hope to get back someday

@SavageScientist 10 месяцев назад

Great video im glad to see you showing Louisiana and New Orleans some love. You covered this topic with great details that even locals did not realize

@EllieODaire 9 месяцев назад

Having the Bela Vista bypass finally finished is great. There was a major snag in construction though: AR had their section graded and ready to build for years, even had a state highway in place along half the ROW to serve locals, just waiting for MO to fund their section from the old terminus near Pineville to the state line. That's why the project seemed to get finished so quickly; AR had all the time consuming earthwork done years ahead of time when the funding finally came through in MO.

@Meatflopsicle 7 месяцев назад

It’s actually a little more complicated than that. Everything you listed is completely true, but not the start of the story. Missouri actually passed a bond issue to pay for their part many years ago and were all ready to do it but abandoned the idea when Arkansas let them know they didn’t have the funding to do it yet and it would be some time before it was ready. Kind of a blame game thing ensued and eventually thankfully the two met on the current alignment.

@robertjenkins3308 7 месяцев назад

I lived in Fayetteville, AR from 1990 to 2000, including college at the University of Arkansas and the start of my engineering career. Before I-49 (originally called AR 540 as stated) was completed between Fayetteville and I-40, the only realistic way to get down towards Fort Smith and to Little Rock was to take US 71. Bear in mind that Northwest Arkansas is also the headquarters of Wal-Mart and several large companies with lots of trucking requirements. US 71 was a 48-mile stretch of two-lane road (with a few passing lanes) that was very very heavily traveled including a lot of 18-wheelers. Lots of sharp curves and other hazards. At the time, that stretch of 71 was one of the most dangerous highways in the nation. It was a great day when that stretch of new freeway opened up. I was an intern for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department for a couple of years and did quite a bit of survey and inspection work on the stretch just south of Fayetteville. Great video!

@TheAlllstar 10 месяцев назад

Lafayette resident here! First off, you nailed the LA portion for sure. There's been plenty of opposition in Lafayette since it would displace some residents living near the downtown area. Broussard, New Iberia, and onward are currently making strides and upgrades as we speak. Also, I didn't know the swampy areas were truly up to Interstate standards but I'm glad to have learned that. Great video, Beaver! Keep it up

@daevonthesavage7483 12 дней назад

They need to get it together in Lafayette because it's always been weird to me how the routing and signage of an Interstate just dead stops in a cloverleaf intersection. One side is I-49 heading to Shreveport and the other side turns into a surface street 😭 and the majority of the route after Lafayette been upgraded for a while now all the way until you get to Des Allemands.

@ComradePhoenix 9 месяцев назад

I live in Louisiana. I've seen those "Future I-49" signs on the Westbank near New Orleans for as long as I can remember, and I'm pushing 30. I'll note that much of the route is called the Westbank Expressway, and probably already up to interstate standards.

@ComradePhoenix 9 месяцев назад

@@kananimiranda3376 IDK, my dad used to work at Avondale and it seemed bigger when I visited him. I was in my mid-teens, so its not like I was a little kid with a skewed sense of perspective.

@TigerLive42 Месяц назад

I drive The Westbank Expressway every day, and those signs were probably removed a decade ago.

@ComradePhoenix Месяц назад

@@TigerLive42 That would line up with the time my family and I moved to the northshore, so yeah.

@capuchinmarmoset 10 месяцев назад

hello from lafayette, i'd love if you talked about us 😊 keep up the good work. the problem with expanding US-90 into an interstate in lafayette is that the highway passes through a low-income, historic, majority minority neighborhood. there are homes located in the median of the freeway. people have talked about creating an overpass to avoid destruction of property and communities. i can't really see any good solutions to extending I-49 through Lafayette. only thing i could really think to do is have a bypass. tbh, US-90 between Lafayette and New Orleans is already sufficient, I don't really see much purpose in expanding it. it's not a particularly well-trafficked route. i saw an article the other day about a proposed high speed rail between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, if something like that served Lafayette I think that could do a lot of good. if we had a high speed rail that connected New Orleans to Houston through Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Beaumont that would be huge but i doubt it would ever happen

@MoneyC225 10 месяцев назад

Lafayette badly needs I-49 thru the heart of the city for the sake of improving access to downtown & the city as a whole. Downtown LFT is the only CBD in Louisiana w/o freeway access. Furthermore, you can't even see downtown from I-10; buildings are so small. Building a 4-lane elevated interstate on the path of Evangeline Thrwy (sorta like I-10 parallel Claiborne in New Orleans) should be simple since much of it is neutral ground and a few structures.

@anthonyjkenn6319 10 месяцев назад

As I did for the Shreveport segment of I-49, I will do the same for defending the segment through Lafayette and the rest of I-49 South to New Orleans. 1) The proposed Lafayette Connector 🛣️ project will be far less disruptive to the neighborhoods abetting it than even the current Evangeline Thruway, because it will safely handle the current and projected future levels of traffic that currently overwhelm the existing Thruway, while incorporating improvements to the Thruway that will enhance and improve accessibility and multimodal connectivity within the neighborhoods and downtown Lafayette. The proposed "urban boulevard" redesign of the Thruway combined with the continuous elevated viaduct concept will improve connectivity between abetting neighborhoods, and enhance further economic development. Alternative bypass alignments have been studied and found to be prohibitively expensive (such as a western bypass encircling Lafayette Parish which would run up to neatly $2 to 2.5 BILLION in costs, or an easterly bypass through St. Martin Parish that would require crossing sensitive wetlands such as Cypress Swamp) without addressing the issue of direct traffic using the Thruway to reach major destinations such as the Univ. of Louisiana campus, downtown, Lafayette Regional Airport, the Oil Center, and other points within the city.

@anthonyjkenn6319 10 месяцев назад

2) The completion of I-49 South to NOLA is more than justified by safety concerns of at-grade intersections on a facility of which whole sections are already built to Interstate-grade freeway standards; by the critical need for hurricane evacuation routes for all of South Louisiana; and by the essential importance of US 90 between Lafayette and NOLA as a critical artery for economic development. The need of a relief route and alternative for I-10 through Baton Rouge, especially with upcoming widening of that corridor, also more than justifies upgrades to the US 90 corridor.

@RiVer-Parish 9 месяцев назад

WHO really cares about Lafayette?

@anthonyjkenn6319 9 месяцев назад

@@RiVer-Parish The people of Lafayette?

@xbracket3735 10 месяцев назад

Beaver is on top! Best video in the channels history!

@sams3015 10 месяцев назад

Glad to have you back beaver…I only found your channel about 3 weeks ago and so I watched everything & have been waiting for the next videos

@danehammond5763 10 месяцев назад

I've never thought about this before, but Shreveport I think is a city that could realistically reroute its highways around the city. I-49 could take the route you suggested and I-20 follow I-220 instead, allowing for the downtown sections to be demolished. This seems to be a popular/trendy thing to do recently so that seems like a likely solution to the I-49 dilemma in Shreveport

@hemlockesprings 9 месяцев назад

The main issue is I-220 crosses over Cross Lake, which is a main source of drinking water for all of us who live here, so the environmental impact of that wouldn’t be great. It’s also not equipped to hold the amount of traffic I-49 will bring. Plus, 3132 isn’t fully up to interstate standards, so it would be tons of money to update that and reroute the interchange to connect to the existing I-49 route.

@JustFluffyQuiltingYarnCrafts 7 месяцев назад

Thank you for compiling and sharing this detailed view of I-49’s construction. ❤ I stumbled on the highway a few years ago, in Louisiana, and it was a lovely drive. 🚘

@bulbman2564 10 месяцев назад

West Mo resident here, The I29/I49 thing has always confused me. I have driven that section of 71 downtown and it could be relatively easily turned into an interstate. Considering how already cursed the downtown mixing bowl is and with the 169 bridge project, I don't think it will be done anytime soon. I do hope that one day 49/29 will become one single interstate designation to finnally put my ocd to rest

@c.t.turner2123 10 месяцев назад

The transition should be at I-70. The stretch of 71 south of Downtown is dangerous with signal lights. They did all that work to improve it but those signal lights. Doesn't make sense. Maybe one day they'll figure it out

@carlstevens781 10 месяцев назад

The state legally can’t make that section into an interstate due to a court order. There was a lawsuit & the judge issued an injunction barring removal of the traffic lights.

@evanwilliams3645 9 месяцев назад

@@carlstevens781I’ve ran it a couple of times in the middle of the night in an 18 wheeler. Nice route but during the day I bet it’s a nightmare. Good explanation on why it is that way, I wondered about that. Definitely a strange set up. Won’t ever do it during the day as I try and stay out of the way of locals unless necessary

@eljefe62 9 месяцев назад

@@carlstevens781 I'm sure they still could IF they present the right plan that addresses the concerns. Simply copying what was done at intersections to the north, 39th street, for example, would be completely feasible. If you'll look closely at the 3 intersections cited, you'll see that there is a wide enough space already allocated that will easily accommodate interchanges like the ones further north. My bet is that the resistance is solely political in nature because some self-important person thinks they have the power to restrict others. To them I say, grow up!

@bradwatson8746 10 месяцев назад

I love this channel!

@TheSharkKing45 10 месяцев назад

For KC I don't understand what they don't multiplex 49 with 335 to the airport For Shreveport... option 2 would make sense For Arkansas, I think they're waiting on 49s completion to start on 69s construction

@michaeltrace1109 9 месяцев назад

And I-57 too. And the US-412 upgrade to Interstate status between I-35 and I-49.

@Hawkeye515D 10 месяцев назад

I'm from Central Iowa have relatives in Texarkana, AR, Easy drive through Kansas City and Southern Missouri. But 100 percent rights, horrible going through Western Arkansas. Beautiful country, just so slow.

@bradleymcwilliams6348 10 месяцев назад

Traveled most of the routes discussed here, and I think in Shreveport using the existing loop is a no brainer. Just resurface the blasted thing! Don't understand at all why the three intersections in KC don't have overpasses, no reason for that. South from Ft Smith would be great, but that's a huge project. As for Lafayette? Go way around that hell hole. Once the current I-49 ends, misery begins. That road is awful...

@grvan434 10 месяцев назад

Nice information in this video; I had interest since I live in Kansas City and have used US 71 and I-49 a lot. The part of US 71 north of the I-49/435/470 interchange had been planned as a freeway since the 1950s and at one time would have likely been an extension of I-29 to Joplin. MoDOT had owned the land for over 40 years before building the highway due to the city keeping it tied up in court. The result is a compromise.

@saldada8870 10 месяцев назад

i love your work please make more

@brianwolters7560 8 месяцев назад

I always find it interesting that they use the northward section of I-49 north of Texarkana for Ft. Smith despite how very short it is. I thought they could perhaps sign it as 71 until done.

@guikirsch9758 9 месяцев назад

Great video, we call it Laffy-ette

@BeaverGeography 9 месяцев назад

Great, thanks!

@marpsr 8 месяцев назад

The Belle Vista bypass is a great piece of highway. Very well built. Looks brand spanking new.

@user-zh9kc7tw4n 10 месяцев назад

Interesting video. Just looked at the maps and what is stopping the roads around Shreveport being named the I 49 as it looks on the satelite anyway that it is already of that standard around the west of the city.. So why build a new Highway just upgrade the one that is there..

@idriveastationwagon1534 9 месяцев назад

I remember when that turbine interchange at the start of the video was originally going to be a 4 level stack. It would've been NC's second 4 level stack which wouldve also been in charlotte like the first one.

@johnbarker5009 9 месяцев назад

I've driven this route from the northern terminus in Kansas City into Shreveport. You're spot on in your comments. The stretch through the southern Kansas City area can take forever to drive during Friday night rush hour. Especially during the Summer, when people are leaving the Kansas City area for Lake of the Ozarks. The stretch from Ft Smith to Texarkana REALLY needs to get done. The existing highways are awful, and it takes most of a day to get from Fayetteville to Shreveport. The Kansas City to Shreveport trip is, believe it or not, better made by going all the way out toward Tulsa and taking the Indian Nation tollway.

@passatboi 10 месяцев назад

The old term was "a make work project". Poorer states in South use capital construction projects like Interstates to create construction jobs using federal money. Especially Louisiana, as evidenced by all the crazy long viaducts there.

@LucarioBoricua 7 месяцев назад

To be fair, Louisiana's large rivers, lagoons and vast wetlands really do require crazy long viaducts, otherwise the routes would require a lot of environmentally disruptive embankments, aggravate flood problems, or plain be infeasible through more conventional means.

@BNSF-2050 10 месяцев назад

When you said Texarkana I got Smokey and the bandit vibes

@utcnc7mm 9 месяцев назад

Charlotte, NC to Chattanooga, TN is one I wish they would look into ( I know that's probably not an interstate but a good highway between those two cities would be nice)

@jollyjohnthepirate3168 9 месяцев назад

Louisiana has to upgrade I 10. It is nearing it's lifespan from when it was built.

@RD-jc2eu 9 месяцев назад

hear! hear!

@c.t.turner2123 10 месяцев назад

Ive always been in favor of extending I-49 to the Council Bluffs area. Elimination of I-29 all together. In the grand scheme of things, I'd favor building I-45 from Dallas to the Omaha area vis Tulsa, Topeka and Omaha/ Council Bluffs. I -45 would take over I-29 to the Canadian Border

@VegitoBlue202 10 месяцев назад

It will be perfect too as the Great plains is already or about to experience a massive boom. Shit Dallas and Omaha is already experiencing it I-49, I-45, I-35, and I-29 are all going to be a even more influential highways in the future

@Mockingbird_Taloa 10 месяцев назад

There is one 30 or so mile stretch that will be very difficult and expensive to bring up to interstate standard between Tvshka/Atoka and McAlester, Okl., but the route to Tulsa from Dallas is otherwise interstate ready. The route is approved by Congress as I-45 (complete with a commitment of federal funds for 60% of the project!!)--if the Oklahoma state legislature will ever get around to approving it. Quite a lot of US-75 north of Dallas is solidly interstate grade through to the state line, and most of the concurrency it has with US-69 is already at or very close to interstate grade (one can even see the places where dirt was piled in the median to eventually make overpasses for the few at-grade crossings left between Durant and Tvshka/Atoka). 100% of the road between McAlester and Mvskoke is interstate grade. It's just the state's refusal to spend money on things that matter that's in the way (where US-69 runs through the middle of towns like Atoka and Kiowa, it's extremely dangerous because of the volume of traffic and NEEDS to be moved anyway). Choctaw Nation spent TEN YEARS trying to get the state to agree to upgrade US-69/75 along a six or so mile stretch in Calera. Lots of horrible accidents and preventable deaths before the state would agree to allow the project. Main reason the state wouldn't approve it? The Nation was involved (as we should be, since it's on our Rez, was right by our main casino/resort, and we were paying for much of the upgrades!) There are...a lot of infrastructure projects that get slowed up by the state simply because they don't directly serve the OKC area &/or involve working with Tribal governments (which is odd, because we bring money to the table & there are Federal programs that focus on additional money for Reservation infrastructure that means the state has to spend less!) I'd love to see I-45 happen, but it's been at least 20 years at this point so I won't be holding my breath:/

@c.t.turner2123 9 месяцев назад

@@tripplefives1402 Use the I -29 number further west for future use.

@thomasrinschler6783 6 месяцев назад

@@c.t.turner2123 I agree, I-29 is way too far east for its designation, especially with I-25 and I-27 in existence, meaning that there's no feasible number should the Great Plains need another north-south highway, such as using I-135 and continuing it north to Grand Island NE, Pierre SD, and Bismark and Minot ND. Even if I-29 doesn't get subsumed by another interstate like I-49, rename it I-31 or I-33, so I-29 can indeed be used further west.

@Tested333 10 месяцев назад

Youre so close to 50k!

@BeaverGeography 10 месяцев назад

Almost

@iboKirby 10 месяцев назад

Idk if you have heard of control city freak, but his idea is to re-sign i29 as i35 and then re-sign current i35 from Kansas City to Duluth as i49. I think that makes a lot of sense.

@DEEJAY440 10 месяцев назад

Yeah and then turn i49 into i45 since i45 now is intrastate and small

@MichaelJDanberry 10 месяцев назад

Interesting about renaming I29 to I 35 . I35 running diagonal does cause this sort of problem.

@stephenhassler4596 10 месяцев назад

@@DEEJAY440What would I-45 be re-designated as? To maintain the geographic consistency of longitudinal interstates, it would need an odd-numbered designation higher than 35 but lower than 45. However, all of those numbers are already in use.

@stephenhassler4596 10 месяцев назад

But if I-35 became I-49, then 3 interstates directly to its east would have lower numbers (I-39, I-41 and I-43)

@iboKirby 9 месяцев назад

@@stephenhassler4596 I guess then i35 south from Kansas City could be i29 and then i49 become i35. That would probably be a better solution to the numbering.

@edwardmiessner6502 9 месяцев назад

I'm living in New Orleans and having grown up in Boston and remembering the freeway revolts there I seriously think that I-49 should be rerouted around both Lafayette and Shreveport. Running freeways through cities always degrade them more than just the immediate neighborhood that the freeway destroys in each town. So Lafayette should get a new eastern or western beltway and Highway 3132 should be upgraded to interstate standards with the stack south of Shreveport reworked for I-49 mainline traffic routed around the city. The existing I-49 freeway going into Shreveport can be renumbered I-149. Now as far as upgraded in the New Orleans metro area, given the chaos that accompanies an evacuation for each approaching hurricane, I'm disappointed and disgusted that US-90/90B hasn't been upgraded to Interstate all the way out to Houma yet.

@paulbrower 9 месяцев назад

Agreed. Rural Interstates promote growth nearby, but urban Interstates have mauled the neighborhoods through which they pass. One bypass and one feeder route (there's usually some suitable path) would be enough. Big Cities should have relied upon mass transit. Other expressways should have been cut-and-cover tunnels with hefty tolls.

@anthonyjkenn6319 9 месяцев назад

Disagree on both counts. An outer beltway around Lafayette would serve its own independent utility as providing access to the high-growth areas of Lafayette and northern Vermilion parishes; but it would be of very poor usage as a means of avoiding the far more direct Evangeline Thruway/US 90 upgrade. Plus, it would be prohibitively expensive, with costs running near $2.5 billion for a full western bypass. There were once plans for an eastern bypass that would run in St. Martin Parish, but that option was found to be seriously lacking in that it would not remove enough traffic from the Thruway/90 corridor to be economically feasible; it would require crossing very sensitive wetlands and Cypress Lake, and it would not meet the principal need of relieving congestion within the Thruway/90 corridor. (Continued)

@anthonyjkenn6319 9 месяцев назад

I also beg to seriously differ with your take that elevated freeways are inherently evil and always destructive to abetting neighborhoods. Maybe the real issue is not the freeway itself, but the overall lack of commitment to proper adjacent neighborhood development. Most inner city freeways were constructed with little or no care about the poorer neighborhoods they traversed; and in many cases it was politics and cost-cutting that favored ramming freeways through without any concerns whatsoever for those displaced. However, that not withstanding, there are now efforts underway to take into account the impact of a freeway through neighborhoods, and adequately provide mitigation for connectivity and retaining cohesiveness. The city of Lafayette and the DOTD has a detailed process ongoing with the Connector project that includes a full commitment to incorporating the freeway into the communities affected. The same could be done for I-49 through Shreveport.

@Droidman1231 10 месяцев назад

I'm from Louisiana and enjoyed learning about the other parts of the interstate. I'm of the strong mindset though that the parts that need to go through downtown Shreveport and Lafayette shouldn't be built. Interstates have already caused enough destruction on our downtowns, no reason to make it even worse in modern times. I-49 going around Shreveport with I-220 seems like the logical choice; saves downtown Shreveport further desctruction, it's cheaper, and only adds 4-5 miles to I-49 through traffic. If traffic from I-49 north of the city wants to go to downtown Shreveport, they can just go east on I-220 for one exit and take US-71 into downtown easily. One issue in the video was the statement "It'll be up to the city to decide", it won't. It's up to the state DOT to decide, and I'm pretty sure that the state DOT and the city want different things, but the city has little to no control over the interstates in their city limits. I-49 between Shreveport/I-20 and Lafayette/I-10 is great; I'm so glad they built it as it does a great job of connecting northern and southern Louisiana, while also connecting the biggest city in "middle" Louisiana (Alexandria). It's sad the freeway barrels through downtown Alexandria but expected given the time of construction. For Lafeyette, I'm for making it interstate grade from south of downtown to New Orleans. The urban parts of the freeway in New Orleans are pretty much already built; even the three miles Beaver noted are easy because the land was set aside for it. LA to NOLA wouldn't be a super heavy traffic route; I-10 is more direct, but gives good redundancy, hurricane evacuation routes, and mobility for the southern central Louisiana communities. I'm really against the plan to put I-49 through downtown Lafayette. There are people living there, and freeways through the heart of downtowns has negative effects in ways other than displacement. Downtown Lafeyette needs revitalization, not a freeway. I'm not 100% what they should do but there is a large swamp to the east of downtown, and there are plenty of interstates going through swampy areas in the state already. Where US-90 curves to the west between Billeaud and Broussard, I'd think it should just keep going straight until it hits I-10 just east of Larabee, less than 3 miles east of where I-49 already ends. Probably won't happen though because environmental groups care more about trees and nature than their fellow citizens.

@shawnperkins2842 10 месяцев назад

Can you do a video on the I-57 expansion? I'm really interested in that project.

@carlstevens781 10 месяцев назад

Ditto

@dvferyance 10 месяцев назад

Same here it's mostly done in Arkansas. The one hangover is the Missouri segment from Popular Bluff to Sikeston.

@carlstevens781 10 месяцев назад

@@dvferyance As much as it pains me to say as an Arkansan that’s been highly critical of MoDOT, that’s not quite entirely accurate. The segment between those 2 has already been upgraded to a 4 lane expressway. All Missouri has to do is eliminate the at grade crossings & it can get signed. We’re actually the ones holding up the project because the freeway from NLR ends at Walnut Ridge. We still have to build our segment all the way to the MO state line from scratch, & there’s currently no source of funds. Missouri has been working on building their segment from Poplar Bluff all the way to the state line.

@dvferyance 10 месяцев назад

@@carlstevens781 I didn't know that.

@PhilWorley 9 месяцев назад

They should renumber I 30 to I 57 when it gets completed in Little Rock. There you would have a same number interstate from Chicago to Dallas.

@Montrana 9 месяцев назад

Kansas City resident here, there are some inaccuracies regarding US-71 that runs through the city. 1. There is another at grade intersection at US-71 and Gregory Blvd to the south of the screenshot that you show at 8:55. 2. Besides the intersections you mentioned, there are other one-way intersections at E 69th, E 60th, E 57th, and E 53rd 3. E 51st doesn't interface with US-71 at all and is actually just a bridge over the highway.

@cityskylines11 10 месяцев назад

What about the Western bypass around Shreveport/Boisser City? I've seen plans to creat a full beltway loop around the area and assumed that may be one of the routes it could take.

@matethiustransport1374 10 месяцев назад

49 serves Joplin pretty well giving truck traffic an easy access to that side of the metro area without having to go through the the congested part.

@michaeltrace1109 9 месяцев назад

MO-249/171 is actually the better route southbound, and I usually wind up taking it northbound as well even with the traffic light to get back on I-49 at Carthage.

@Alan-lv9rw 7 месяцев назад

We need an interstate from Dallas to Chicago, going thorough Little Rock and St. Louis.

@tiagoatwi1768 7 месяцев назад

Please talk about Lafayette Louisiana! I'm from there! Huge potential projects.

@ErikCrowKrahe 9 месяцев назад

Never speed through the stretch right at the AR-MO border. Pineville cop got me going 85 on I-49. I’ll admit I was going 85 but damn a $375 ticket for an empty highway hurt.

@bkzach 10 месяцев назад

There's another simple reason most nothern especially northeastern states don't make new highways, expressways, and interstates is because a lot of the land is already taken up, it's way harder to build around all that is already built, plus the geography and, climate don't help with any roads or roadwork projects.

@landonscott3277 10 месяцев назад

You should make a video on I-579 in pittsburgh. Driving on it, it doesn't feel like it fits in, especially going from 376 to 579

@BeaverGeography 10 месяцев назад

In what way, could you elaborate?

@landonscott3277 10 месяцев назад

@BeaverGeography It's kind of pittsburghs whole thing, but it's signed on 376 that's it's 579 but half of it is the Blvd of the allies, and then it turns into a really short interstate before merging with 279, and going south hound of 579, you have to squeeze into the right lane in a very short time to get on Blvd of allies to connect back to 376. The Blvd of allies also has pretty small lanes and there's alot of people turning on and off of it, it's just a headache driving that way to go north of pittsburg, in my opinion it's much easier to take 279 the whole way.

@kc2dc444 9 месяцев назад

I think there is plenty of people in the KC area that would support turning those intersections along US-71 into interchanges. The problem is those are court ordered to remain traffic signals. When US-71 went in, thousands of homes were taken out and the project was caught up in lawsuits for decades. The compromise to get the project built at all were those traffic signals. The sad thing is the signals were put in to help keep the freeway from destroying and dividing the neighborhoods, but it didn't work. It just created a very unsafe situation for EVERYBODY including pedestrians. That highway is not even needed as 435 is only a few miles east.

@PolPotsPieHole 9 месяцев назад

I remember driving from Shreveport to New Orleans in the early 2000s and there were "future I49" signs back then

@jimdevilbiss9125 9 месяцев назад

You should look at the Corredor Road in West Virginia.

@maroon9273 2 месяца назад

For shreveport portion, it can join I-20 and I-220. Kansas city, it can bypass and tag with I-435.

@danielmoorefield5371 9 месяцев назад

I use this highway ALOT....with my inlaws living in Bentonville, I live in KC MO, my wife would use it even more if there was a complete shot to New Orleans because we love going on cruises....Galveston is our current preferred port but the finish i49 New Orleans would be even easier to get to then Galveston. that Belle Vista by pass is NICE. Used 3 times now and its A WHOLE LOT BETTER then driving through and dealing with the stuck up snobs of Belle Vista

@criticallard2090 5 месяцев назад

You forgot about Texas. I-49 ending just north of Texarkana heads directly into Texas. I see why you never talked about it though. Once alignment north of Texas is figured out, Texas has only 4 or 5 miles of rural highway to build. Easy as cake. I did hear about I-369 getting sent north of I-30 so it can connect to I-49. I also have a take on what 49 could look like later in Shreveport. I think it could be option B, as you brought up. Only difference being that the part heading north to downtown could be a I-49 spur route.

@davidlovell9188 Месяц назад

Western Arkansas resident. You can credit ARDOT for dragging their feet on the Alma to Barling section as well as the southern portion to Texarkana.

@josephtrahan8045 9 месяцев назад

Always wondered about what’s going on with 49. I can’t wait till LA finishes it. All they have to is bring up the standards from Lafayette Parish to Jefferson Parish. The road is connected. The current road is pretty good just not interstate.

@selfdo 9 месяцев назад

(1) Is there that crying a need for a direct Interstate connection from Northwest Arkansas, through the Ozarks, and down to Tekarkana? (2) A case could be made for an Interstate 47, running from NW Arkansas down through Choctaw country (Muscogee, McAlestor), and either taking the current US-75 alignment on to Texas, all the way to McKinney, or, since much of that is already good highway, through Hugo, OK, and then Paris, TX, and Commerce, connecting to I-30 at Greenville. Expect a LOT of political grift through the Choctaw Nation, and high real estate costs in Texas.

@Jonathanstockwell 9 месяцев назад

That 4 miles in Shreveport is really needed. All the people north of Texarkana really want that road, but due to the lack of population those people get screwed. People in Texarkana are just happy to have an interstate to Shreveport

@danhobson24 9 месяцев назад

That would be nice. Drivers will appreciate it more

@S_Over_Street 10 месяцев назад

Do a video similar to this for I-11 that is so far in Nevada (between Las Vegas & Hoover Damn / NV-AZ border). I know there’s plans in AZ for I-11 to follow along US-93 from Hoover Damn, to Kingman, combine with I-40 for 20+ miles stretch, then along US-93 down towards the Phoenix area. Then towards Tucson. I heard of controversy outside of Tuscon for proposing it on historical land though.

@paulbrower 9 месяцев назад

One idea is to build I-11 to Wickenburg and straight south toward I-8 at Gila Bend. Fine. Piggybacking an existing Interstate onto another for a significant distance (80/90 for most of the distance between Chicago and Cleveland is understndable because a bridge across Lake Michigan is inconceivable) is absurd. I recall seeing photos of US 60, 70, 80, and 89 with Arizona 93 together in Phoenix, which was fine in the world of 45-MPH travel, but not with 70-MPH travel. One number is almost always enough for an Interstate.

@abkeener81 10 месяцев назад

In Shreveport … why don’t they just link interstate 49 with the existing interstates there? So, I 49 and I 20 could just be one road for example.

@vr6swp 6 месяцев назад

Not 100% sure I’m correct on this, but I remember I-49 being under construction when I was a little kid,and I’m 60 now

@ssga_tgbuddy3082 21 день назад

The section in Arkansas faces a couple of hurdles. 1) The Ouachita Mountains are different because they are like long fat snakes lying east to west with no gaps so it would be a significant road project. 2) The I-49 route there might be too redundant to other routes running N-S nearby. You already have kind of a route from Dalla thru to Tulsa and then meandering to KC. It would be nice to have but it's easy to see why the challenge.

@ClassicStreetIron 9 месяцев назад

A question I've always had is why is there an I-215 in four states but the roads don't connect? One in California near LA, One in Nevada as a beltway around Las Vegas, One in Utah near St Lake and one in Arizona.

@mikekeeler6362 9 месяцев назад

I-49 used-to-be State Highway 71 in Missouri

@autismparent 9 месяцев назад

It’ll very likely cost way more than that. By the time I-540 is finished here in NC, the whole project will be in the several of billions. It’s only 70 miles around. I think given the terrain and environmental impact issues and all that, I’d imagine it will be closer to double your estimate. Of course most real project costs are double the estimates so this is life in general. 😂

@zackarymcclain164 9 месяцев назад

As an Arkansas resident, heating you pronounce Bella vista is the best part of this video. It’s not pronounced Bella veeeesta, it’s more like vihstuh.

@_Devil 9 месяцев назад

0:30 I hope we're not at the point in this countries history where wanting to build an interstate makes someone a Republican or a Democrat💀💀

@hounddog946 10 месяцев назад

My neighbor’s brother’s ex-wife’s son’s girlfriend’s stepmother’s best friend’s chiropractor’s cousin’s old college roommate’s daughter’s boyfriend’s brother was the 1294th vehicle to pass through the northbound I-49 section that opened in Alexandria, LA at McArthur Dr. Back in the day.

@UncleTee99 10 месяцев назад

He finally talkin bout Kansas City

@andrewtaylor3167 10 месяцев назад

12 billion sounds like a lot until you find out the price tag for some other potential projects. I-422, for example, would be 5.5 billion for about 50 miles of road.

@edwardmiessner6502 9 месяцев назад

I-422? Is that road going around Memphis or around Birmingham?

@andrewtaylor3167 9 месяцев назад

@@edwardmiessner6502 it would be the northern half of a loop around Birmingham

@anthonyrivera4735 10 месяцев назад

Do you think you can do one about l-69?

@derekwest4245 9 месяцев назад

The terrain in southwest Arkansas is really rugged, I’ve been there many times, and I’ve studied HOW they would make it work but still don’t see it being completed. Mostly because it wouldn’t be a very busy route

@johnhickman9926 9 месяцев назад

There are more trucks that would use that route then you think

@RD-jc2eu 9 месяцев назад

I49 through Louisiana wasn't very busy either when it first opened. But traffic has steadily increased over the years.

@marym7104 9 месяцев назад

10,786th viewer of this video!

@e92mattt 9 месяцев назад

Its funny because here in Arkansas we have future I-49 and I-69 signs bragging about what may just possibly exist in 100 years lol

@TheLiamster 10 месяцев назад

I think all highways should be built but should also be buried through suburbs and downtowns to prevent destruction

@bradleymcwilliams6348 10 месяцев назад

Yep, all you gotta do is the take the estimated prices he gave, the "$1.2 Billion", or the "$4.3 Billion" ones, and add a "1" in front of them...

@evanwilliams3645 9 месяцев назад

Prohibitively expensive and big safety issues involved. We have semis that catch fire now with the DPF systems. Not to mention the future electrics that like to use lithium batteries that combust as well. Add in costs for extinguishing. Plus costs for a do all extinguishing system. We have a lot complaining about socializing healthcare, try explaining that project to them

@CDRiley 10 месяцев назад

Am I correct, in the future there will be 3 interstates in Texarkana area?

@edwardmiessner6502 9 месяцев назад

Yes. 30, 49, and 369.

@mikekeeler6362 9 месяцев назад

Belvista is a very nice area rich people live there

@jameswells1743 10 месяцев назад

Have you done a video on I-69

@darthmaul216 9 месяцев назад

I sure Hope it doesn’t

@Cyrus992 9 месяцев назад

Not only transit lines are overbudget and delayed but also freeway systems. It is NO WONDER why cannot handle growth. Instead we rely on arterials/collectors/stroads to handle traffic which are often privately funded.

@rfjel7785 9 месяцев назад

It will be completed the same time as NYC 3rd water tunnel?

@marym7104 9 месяцев назад

Within 3 days!

@gosnooky 9 месяцев назад

I just don't see the section in southern LA to be useful - US 90 already a fairly big road and spending all that money to make it interstate worthy seems like it could be better spent elsewhere.

@MWMWMWMWMWM 9 месяцев назад

Make a vid on emc

@matthewhoneycutt7587 10 месяцев назад

Funny enough I e been doing hyperlapse a of major intersections and highways. If you want me to get some footage for you let me know!

@JordanPetersonjpdancin 9 месяцев назад

you forgot to mention the section thru TEXAS

@Mayito_Tamps 8 месяцев назад

I think they should extend i-45 from Dallas To Tulsa And Then Towards KCK via US-69 That way I-49 Can Serve KCMO And I-45 Can Serve KCK

@zzz6valvoline 7 месяцев назад

I hope there are zero new freeways built in urban neighborhoods. It's good to see that many cities are tearing down the mistakes of the past.

@allenwendling6966 6 месяцев назад

Maybe if the federal government would spend more money in America projects like this could be completed.

@donaldwhite1928 9 месяцев назад

Kind of like commifornia slow speed rail supposed to take twenty years won’t be done in another twenty

@TigerLive42 Месяц назад

The future I-49 signs have long since been removed in the New Orleans area.

@KeoniPhoenix 10 месяцев назад

Is I-86 in New York ever going to be finished?

@Liamshavingfun 9 месяцев назад

Move people out the way through eminent domain and build the highway! Nothing stands in the way of progress!

@troybrown9009 7 месяцев назад

We will have flying cars before it gets done in Arkansas.

@mikekeeler6362 9 месяцев назад

They were supposed to do that on State Highway 67 from Festus Crystal City Missouri to Little Rock never happened

@cmphighpower 9 месяцев назад

Building interstate routes has to be federal endeavor

@brianw8411 9 месяцев назад

It’s not veesta. It’s Vista like the I in Itch.

@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2 10 месяцев назад

Leave i29 alone or move it to eastern Nebraska via US 275 North of Fremont and US 78 South of Fremont(via275 in Fremont to connect with the recently completed South Beltway US 78 to US 75 eventually and go to Sarpy County and stay on US 75 for the remainder of the route.

@MrChilili 10 месяцев назад

That made no sense, it makes no sense, and it’s US77 not US78

@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2 10 месяцев назад

@@MrChililiSorry for the error verify my statement with any maps app