Louisiana to open part of new stretch of I-49 on Wednesday
SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - The Louisiana highway department will allow access to part of a new segment of Interstate 49 in Shreveport starting Wednesday.
An informational sign placed just south of the I-49/Louisiana Highway 1 interchange advises passing motorists that the northbound exit will open soon,
The $176 million I-49 North project referred to as Segment J began in 2014.
The northbound lanes of a 4.25-mile section between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and LA 1 will have a soft opening sometime Wednesday, a highway department spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.
That's Phase 1 of the $176 million I-49 North project referred to as Segment J that began in 2014.
The southbound lanes of Segment J will not be opened at this time to keep from dumping traffic onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, said Erin Buchanan, District 4 spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
Segment J went to bid for $49.9 million in December 2012.
Click here for a detailed update on the project from the LA DOTD.
State highway officials broke ground April 12, 2013, for the stretch between LA 1 and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Meantime, work continues on Section K of Interstate 49, which will connect I-49 to Interstate 220.
Louisiana highway department officials expect that phase of the project to be completed in spring 2018.
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