Tolls eyed on road sections to fund I-49 work
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A group exploring the idea of using tolls to pay for the completion of Interstate 49 south is considering a narrowed focus on only the 6-mile portion through Lafayette.
The Lafayette Metropolitan Expressway Commission, which has taken the local lead in the search for I-49 funding, has been considering two tolling scenarios: an 18-mile stretch from Lafayette going south and the other extending 37 miles from Lafayette through Iberia Parish.
Commissioner Elaine Abell tells The Advocate the commission has been asked by the state Department of Transportation and Development to consider tolls only for a 6-mile elevated portion through Lafayette.
The commission has the legal authority to oversee a toll project, but DOTD would need to grant a permit for it.
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