The Lafayette Metropolitan Expressway Commission is preparing to refocus on one of the more ambitious infrastructure proposals in Lafayette's history, a toll road loop around the city.
The Advocate reports the loop proposal isn't new, but it's been roughly five years since any significant public discussion of the project, and it likely has faded from memory for many residents.
The commission paused planning for the bypass so as not to compete for attention with the proposed Interstate 49 Connector, a six-lane interstate that would roughly follow the path of the Evangeline Thruway.
The state Department of Transportation and Development revised work on the Connector last year, and now the expressway commission hopes to get back on task.
"We decided we are going to put it back on the front burner," said longtime commission member Elaine Abell. "We can get back to what we were going to do."
The commission plans to host public hearings this fall to begin narrowing possible routes for what's being called the Lafayette Regional Xpressway, or the LRX.
The general idea is for the road to connect with Interstate 49 north of Lafayette, then swing southwest, crossing Interstate 10 in the Duson/Scott area and heading south a bit before curving back east to connect with U.S. 90 south of Lafayette.
The commission is exploring two alternative corridors for the northern section of the road and three for the south.
"All of these combinations are on the table," said Kam Movassaghi, a former DOTD secretary who is working as a consultant for the expressway commission.