written by BIZ Magazine October 21, 2026
SHREVEPORT, La. — The proposed I-49 Inner City Connector has moved another step closer to public review, with project officials saying the vast majority of federal comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement have been addressed and the document was resubmitted to federal reviewers Monday.
North Louisiana Council of Governments Executive Director Kent Rogers told BIZ Magazine Wednesday that the Draft EIS was resubmitted to Federal Highway Administration headquarters and its legal sufficiency reviewers on the morning of Oct. 20.
“We are in discussions with them about a few of the comments, but they are not issues that make changes to the recommendations,” Rogers said.
The update provides additional detail on the status of the long-running environmental review for the proposed I-49 Inner City Connector, which would complete the remaining interstate connection through Shreveport.
An Oct. 16 project update prepared for the NLCOG Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting said FHWA headquarters had returned its initial comments Oct. 8. Project officials were required to address those comments and receive federal concurrence before the Draft EIS could be released for public review.
Rogers said Wednesday that most of that work has now been completed.
Once FHWA headquarters and its legal reviewers approve the Draft EIS, the project team can issue a Notice of Availability through the Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register. That publication will formally begin the public review process.
Public review starts 90-day clock
Publication of the Draft EIS will start two important timelines simultaneously.
The public will have a 45-day review and comment period. A formal public hearing cannot be held until the document has been available for at least 30 days, and the comment period must remain open for at least 10 days following the hearing.
Rogers said the hearing will include an open viewing and written-comment portion as well as a formal opportunity for members of the public to provide verbal comments.
Following the close of the comment period, the project team will review and evaluate the comments and address them as appropriate. A Final Environmental Impact Statement will then be submitted to FHWA and will include responses to comments received on the Draft EIS.
The federal Record of Decision, or ROD, cannot be issued sooner than 30 days after the approved Final EIS or 90 days after the Draft EIS is circulated.
A timeline provided by Rogers shows the Notice of Availability as Day 1, the earliest possible public hearing at Day 30, the end of public comments at Day 45, submission of the Final EIS targeted by Day 60 and the Record of Decision at Day 90.
The ROD is the final step in the Environmental Impact Statement process. It identifies the selected alternative, explains the basis for the decision and identifies measures to avoid, minimize or compensate for environmental impacts.
More than $150 million in state funding secured
Even if the project receives a Record of Decision, funding remains a major hurdle.
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Public Information Officer Erin Buchanan told BIZ Magazine Tuesday that the latest estimated cost of the Inner City Connector is between $800 million and $1 billion, driven in part by the cost of constructing the project as an elevated section of interstate and by inflation.
“Of course, even with a Record of Decision, the challenge of securing funding for the project remains,” Buchanan said.
Rogers provided additional detail Wednesday, saying the project currently has more than $150 million in state funding.
“We will continue to seek out funding for the entire project,” Rogers said. “We currently have over $150 million in state funding for the project. Any federal funds secured will require match support.”
Rogers said an updated project cost will be released when the Draft EIS is made public.
Once the Record of Decision is received, DOTD can move into the project’s next phase, including preliminary engineering and design and right-of-way mapping for property acquisition.
Environmental process dates to 2011
Rogers said the scale of the Inner City Connector has contributed to the length of the environmental review.
Planning began with a Louisiana Stage 0 Feasibility Study in 2008, with the project entering the formal federal environmental process in 2011.
“The scale of the project has led to a very long EIS development process,” Rogers said. “We have made sure that through the process we have diligently followed the federal prescribed process, checking that our I’s are doted and T’s crossed multiple times.”
Rogers said federal efforts to streamline environmental reviews have not necessarily applied retroactively to projects already undergoing review.
The Oct. 16 MPO update also said Rogers and NLCOG Board Chairman Dr. Ken Ward recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with key FHWA headquarters staff and brief members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation.
According to the update, House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office has been in regular contact with NLCOG, DOTD and FHWA headquarters regarding the project’s progress.
The next major milestone is now FHWA approval to circulate the Draft EIS. Once that occurs, the project’s proposed path, updated cost and environmental analysis will be placed before the public, beginning the formal 45-day comment period and 90-day timeline toward a federal Record of Decision.