Public Comments Media Coverage Roundup

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.

  • KSLA

    • 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

  • KTBS

    • Members of Allendale Strong were at the meeting advocating for alternative 5, which goes around downtown and avoids historic sites. John Perkins, a media representative for Allendale Strong, said the other plans will hurt Shreveport.“So, they come up with build alternative 3A that’s actually worse for the City of Shreveport because it would basically build a barrier to pedestrian traffic. It goes through historic sites like the waterworks, which is the oldest example of that type of water pumping system in the nation. All of that makes it illegal. It’s dead-on arrival with Allendale Strong, so we oppose that and we prefer build alternative 5,” said Perkins.
    • Click to watch video

  • KTAL

    • “We’re for option number 5 which is the loop, the option that the council of governments wants is going to cost a billion dollars, where is the money coming from? The feds are broke, the state is broke the city sure is broke so we have a loop around the city that’s what we want,” said Allendale Strong member Bill Robertson.
    • Click to watch video

  • Shreveport Bossier Advocate

    • “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

NLCOG Presentation Materials