BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed extension of Ambassador Caffery Parkway from I-10 in Lafayette to I-49 north of Carencro.

The hearing will be held at the Carencro Community Center, located at 5115 North University Avenue, Carencro, LA 70520.

The proposed project would extend the existing Ambassador Caffery Parkway from its current northern terminus at Renaud Drive, just north of the I-10 interchange, to the La. 182/I-49 interchange in Carencro. The improvement of the Ambassador Caffery/I-10 interchange is also included as part of this project. The entire project corridor is located in Lafayette Parish, with a total project length of approximately 9.5 miles.

Detailed information relative to the project is available to those interested through copies of the EA. This information is available for review and/or purchase at the DOTD's District 03 office, located at 428 Hugh Wallis Rd., Lafayette, LA. Copies of this document will be made available upon request at the expense of the person requesting this information, and at a cost equal to the Department’s cost of reproduction. The EA is available for review at the Federal Highway Administration Division Office at 5304 Flanders Drive, Suite A, Baton Rouge, LA and at the DOTD Environmental Section Office, 1201 Capitol Access Road, Room 504D, Baton Rouge, LA. The EA is also available for review at the following local libraries: Lafayette Main Branch Library in Lafayette, the Scott Branch Library in Scott, and the North Regional Branch Library in Carencro. The document can also be accessed online at the DOTD’s Web site at http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/environ/.

Detailed information of the EA will be presented at the public hearing, and right-of-way and relocation information will also be available at the hearing. The purpose of the public hearing will be to receive comments and input on the EA. All interested persons or their representatives are invited to be present at the above time and place for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the highway improvements being considered. Attendees will be afforded an opportunity to express their views concerning the proposed project’s specific location, major design features, and the probable social, economic, and environmental effects involved as described in the EA document. Oral comments will be received at the hearing. To enable statements to be presented within a reasonable time period, and for the accuracy of the official hearing record, it is suggested that oral comments be supplemented by written comments. All written comments may be submitted at the hearing, or may be mailed to the following address, postmarked within ten days following the hearing date (by April 2, 2010): Mr. Bruce Richards, N-Y Associates, Inc., Attn: AMBASSADOR CAFFERY PARKWAY NORTH, 2750 Lake Villa Drive, Metairie, LA 70002.

For more information, or if you require special assistance due to a disability in order to participate in this public hearing, please contact the consultant by mail at the address above or by telephone at (504) 885-0500, at least five working days prior to the public hearing.

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