Project Overview

Click here to download the Ouachita Loop MIS Final Report in Adobe Acrobat format (1.4 MB - approximately 5-7 minute download time).  If you do not have a copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, click here to download it for free.

The Ouachita Loop Major Investment Study (MIS) was initiated to address the problem of current and future travel mobility within Ouachita Parish.  This issue had been addressed in previous studies without resolution.  An MIS is a tool for metropolitan planning organizations - such as the Ouachita Council of Governments (OCOG) - when the need for a major metropolitan transportation investment is identified and Federal funds are potentially involved.   This was determined to be the case by OCOG and prompted the initiation of the Ouachita Loop MIS.

The intent of the Ouachita Loop MIS was to bring the region's stakeholders together through a process of defining and analyzing possible alternatives to result in a preferred strategy that addresses the area's future transportation needs.  This process occurred through the work of the Ouachita Loop MIS Steering Committee.

The Ouachita Loop MIS Steering Committee was composed of:

• FHWA, LA-DOTD, and OCOG personnel;
• Representatives of appropriate local, state, and federal agencies;
• Local elected and appointed officials;
• Representatives of local business and community interests; and
• the project consultant team.

The key functions of the Steering Committee throughout the MIS process were to:

• Define the Purpose and Need for the Ouachita Loop;
• Evaluate alternative roadway alignments within the Ouachita Loop MIS Study Corridor;
• Review the analysis of traffic, environmental, community, and economic impacts of the alternative roadway alignments developed by the project consultant team; and
• Select the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA)

The LPA for the Ouachita Loop MIS was developed based on input from state and federal agencies, the general public, and the Ouachita Loop MIS Steering Committee.  To view a map of the LPA, visit the Project Area Maps page of this website.

Traffic projections indicate that the Ouachita Loop would require a two-lane roadway and would not warrant a freeway-type facility.  New construction would be required to fill in the gaps between existing sections.  The table below summarizes key information concerning the LPA.  Portions of the LPA may be constructed through other initiatives already in the area's metropolitan transportation plan, which may reduce the cost.

  If you have any comments or questions regarding the Ouachita Loop MIS, please forward them to the Ouachita Council of Governments:

Ouachita Council of Governments
RE: Ouachita Loop MIS
2115 Justice Street
Monroe, LA 71201

TEL: (318) 387-2572
FAX: (318) 387-9054
E-Mail: wdmitch@bayou.com

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Last revised: November 30, 1999