As a resident of the garden district/Perkins road overpass area, I am very concerned with what the areas underneath the I-10 elevated areas will look like, especially the area known as “merchants district,” the area where the Perkins road goes underneath I-10. After reviewing the information on the website, I was disappointed to not see many concepts for what the areas underneath I-10 would look like, albeit for those areas where potential art/community gathering spaces are planned (such as near Expressway Park), ESPECIALLY during construction. Construction is planned to take 5-7 years. That’s 5-7 years of disrupting the main access point (Perkins road) to my home. Undoubtedly traffic will grow during construction. Are there any plans to mitigate traffic during construction? Also, will the construction on the elevated sections of I-10 disrupt the local businesses? I saw that there was a survey provided to local businesses about their thoughts on this project. Will the state at all consult with these local businesses to make sure minimal business is loss during construction? I would have like to have seen concepts for what these underneath areas will look like once complete.
Response:
Thank you for expressing your concerns and comments on the project. Since the project would remove the Perkins Road ramps, the concepts for what uses the public suggests and may ultimately occur there were the primary purpose of the context sensitive solution station for that area. If you have specific concepts in mind, please submit additional comments relative to what you would like to the area to have, parking, pedestrian/bike paths, open areas, connectivity with Trader Joe’s, etc… Construction of the entire project, if fully funded, is proposed to take five to seven years; no one location along the entire project route will be under construction for that length of time and, depending on the area, some may only be affected for several months. Traffic management is part of the Transportation Management Plan to be developed for this project. The survey that you are noting was provided several years ago during the Feasiblity Study, it invovled local, state, and interstate users of I-10. DOTD is currently consulting with local businesses and property owners in the Perkins Merchants district to develop solutions for access and parking during construction. Relative to aesthetics, concepts for under highway lighting, pier aesthetics, and other enhancements, such as new parking areas, are all under development at this time and will be available for review during the public hearing.
Comment:
As a resident of the garden district/Perkins road overpass area, I am very concerned with what the areas underneath the I-10 elevated areas will look like, especially the area known as “merchants district,” the area where the Perkins road goes underneath I-10. After reviewing the information on the website, I was disappointed to not see many concepts for what the areas underneath I-10 would look like, albeit for those areas where potential art/community gathering spaces are planned (such as near Expressway Park), ESPECIALLY during construction. Construction is planned to take 5-7 years. That’s 5-7 years of disrupting the main access point (Perkins road) to my home. Undoubtedly traffic will grow during construction. Are there any plans to mitigate traffic during construction? Also, will the construction on the elevated sections of I-10 disrupt the local businesses? I saw that there was a survey provided to local businesses about their thoughts on this project. Will the state at all consult with these local businesses to make sure minimal business is loss during construction? I would have like to have seen concepts for what these underneath areas will look like once complete.
Response:
Thank you for expressing your concerns and comments on the project. Since the project would remove the Perkins Road ramps, the concepts for what uses the public suggests and may ultimately occur there were the primary purpose of the context sensitive solution station for that area. If you have specific concepts in mind, please submit additional comments relative to what you would like to the area to have, parking, pedestrian/bike paths, open areas, connectivity with Trader Joe’s, etc… Construction of the entire project, if fully funded, is proposed to take five to seven years; no one location along the entire project route will be under construction for that length of time and, depending on the area, some may only be affected for several months. Traffic management is part of the Transportation Management Plan to be developed for this project. The survey that you are noting was provided several years ago during the Feasiblity Study, it invovled local, state, and interstate users of I-10. DOTD is currently consulting with local businesses and property owners in the Perkins Merchants district to develop solutions for access and parking during construction. Relative to aesthetics, concepts for under highway lighting, pier aesthetics, and other enhancements, such as new parking areas, are all under development at this time and will be available for review during the public hearing.