By JIM BUTLER
State transportation officials prefer skirting developed area with pending extension of Sugarhouse Road in Alexandria.
A public hearing on the draft environmental assessment of the two paths considered will be held Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at the Frank O. Hunter Park gym on Willow Glen River Road.
The extension is the long-awaited connection between Eddie Williams Avenue, which parallels Interstate 49, and La. 1.
The project first appeared in the state highway construction plan in 1992, at the behest of then-freshman State Rep. Israel “Bo” Curtis Jr.
It fell out of priority during financial reshuffling early this century, getting back in the mix about 15 years ago.
The two-lane, 1.53-mile road, which includes a roundabout at La. 1 South, has a current estimated construction cost of $15.6 million.
The route (identified as Alternate 2) preferred by DOTD was the overwhelming public choice at previous hearings.
It moves easterly from the existing Sugarhouse terminus, crosses Hynson Bayou, Chatlin Canal, KCS track and proceeds to Highway 1.
Alternative 1 follows a more northeasterly path, merging with Hudson Boulevard just before the Hynson bridge, crossing and continuing to a new roundabout.
The impact assessment notes the preferred route will take in up to 17 acres of wetlands with mitigation costs estimated at $178,000.
The assessment report is a 1,300-page compendium analyzing potential impact on everything from noise levels to native flora and fauna.
It can be read online at the DOTD site or at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library Branch on Broadway Avenue.