Sixth Steering Committee Meeting

Date:         October 5, 1999 

Time:         10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Location:   City Council Chambers -- Monroe City Hall

Meeting Agenda

Meeting Notes

Mr. Dan Broussard of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s (LA-DOTD) Planning and Programing Division, opened the meeting shortly after 10:00 AM and introduced Mr. Warren Myers of HNTB.

Mr. Myers reviewed the MIS process and the involvement of the steering committee. He talked about how, as a core group, the steering committee members, as stake holders, have been involved throughout the project.

Mr. Myers then discussed the study summary, reviewing how and why Alternative 1 was chosen as the Locally Preferred Alternative. The alignment makes up a 48-mile loop which can be broken down into five segments of independent utility for design and construction purposes. The handout used for discussion at the meeting is enclosed. One important thing to note involves the benefit/cost ratio which is based on a model used by the state that utilizes a discounted cost. It assumes that the $135 million noted would grow to the $243 million needed if left in an interest-bearing account at 7%.

Mr. Myers went on to discuss the environmental concerns. The federal regulatory agencies involved in this MIS (e.g., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) all endorsed Alternative 1 as the Locally Preferred Alternative. That endorsement is important for the next step of the process, which is the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Next, Mr. David Creed of the Ouachita Council of Governments (OCOG) spoke about OCOG’s role and where the project goes from this point. OCOG, as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the region, will have to vote on how to proceed. He pointed out that a potential source of funding would need to be investigated and that the project could be broken down in phases.

Next, Mr. Don Tolar, with the local LA-DOTD district, talked about projects in the district that involve roads that are in the Loop project, as recommended. He compared the dollars LA-DOTD has committed to the parish this year ($6.9 million) versus the dollars that would be needed for this project. Mr. Myers pointed out that this project, estimated at $243 million, is definitely a major investment when compared with the currently available dollars.

Several questions and comments were raised during the course of the meeting and are summarized below:

    Mr. Ed Cheek, Traffic Engineer, City of Monroe – Mr. Cheek asked if the cost for building the Loop was based on a two lane corridor. Mr. Myers replied that the traffic projections out through 2025 did not warrant more lanes than two. Mr. David Creed pointed out that there was no new money for interstates. Mr. Myers said that there will no longer be money available for interstate construction, but only for maintenance. Mr. Cheek asked about how I-69 would impact this project, and Mr. Myers stated that it would have no impact.

    Mr. Tony Ducote, LA-DOTD Section 25 – Mr. Ducote asked if any of this Loop is planned on being limited access. Mr. Myers stated that it would not, except on the bridges over railroad crossings.

    Mr. Perry Thomas, Southern Ouachita Parish – Mr. Thomas asked what other cities have done to finance loops. Mr. Myers stated that most existing loops were built as part of the interstate system. Mr. Thomas asked if there has been any consideration of taxes being used to finance the Loop, and Mr. Myers said that there was not enough of a tax base in Ouachita Parish to fund a project of this magnitude. Mr. Creed added that Beltline Road in Dallas is an example of a loop that used existing streets when it was created.

There being no other questions or comments, Mr. Myers expressed his enjoyment in working on a project that was in his home area, and he thanked the steering committee for its work. The meeting was then adjourned.

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