I-10 widening project faces opposition from community

BATON ROUGE – A multi-year project to widen a portion of I-10 will cost taxpayers millions of dollars, and more importantly, their time.

“150,000 vehicles will not have a place to go. We’ve been waiting for a traffic management plan from DOTD for about six years and they still haven’t produced one to this day,” said Coleman Brown, the EBR Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee.

The project will affect quality of life for citizens of Baton Rouge, not only on the roads, but under them as well.

LSU associate professor of art & photography, Johanna Warwick, shared a presentation about the effect highway development has on certain communities.

“It actually affects the people underneath, there’s going to be a lot of houses that get torn down. I already photographed one generational family’s home that was pulled down for the Washington change. These kinds of things leave a mark and sometimes it’s hard for the community to come back and use these spaces again.”

The project has seen opposition from many, including Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office.

“Everyday they proceed down this path pursuing an option that was neither studied nor communicated or allowed the public to provide comment on is a day longer that it’ll take to complete this project,” Assistant Attorney General Joseph Donahue said.

After the DOTD announced delays and extra costs associated with the LA-1 bridge construction in West Baton Rouge, residents worry a similar situation could happen with this project.