The discussion about what the Interstate 49 Connector might look like will resume this week after planning was paused in June to allow transportation officials to prepare for more-detailed studies on the road's impact.

A public meeting on the project is set Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Progressive Community Outreach Center on Gallian Street on 19 design concepts being considered for the 5.5-mile stretch of planned interstate.

The state Department of Transportation and Development launched an effort last year to finalize the design of the Connector, which would roughly follow the path of the Evangeline Thruway.

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DOTD focused initially on a preliminary road design done several years ago, but in recent months, the list of possible design alternatives has expanded to 19.

Many of those options include elements not considered when the Federal Highway Administration approved the the Connector project in a 2003 record of decision.

DOTD officials announced in June that the expanded options mean the agency should revisit the original environmental impact statement for the I-49 Connector — a broad study of how the road would impact the community, including a look at traffic, historic neighborhoods, noise, safety, environmental issues and pedestrian pathways.

The study is required for any road project receiving federal funds.

Even if DOTD were not considering alternative designs, a revised environmental impact study might have been needed because there have been major changes since the first impact study was done 14 years ago: the historical designation of the Freetown-Port Rico neighborhood, the redevelopment of some of the neighborhoods along the planned route, different traffic patterns and a major shift in thinking about how big roads can hurt or help communities.

That shift is evident in the opposition that has surfaced to DOTD's preliminary design for the Connector.

The Downtown Development Authority released a policy statement last week calling for the elimination of the "two massive downtown interchanges" that are in the preliminary DOTD design, arguing the interchanges could disrupt local traffic patterns and consume some 50 acres of developable land.

A team of planners brought in by Lafayette city-parish government also questioned DOTD's preliminary design, essentially a conventional, partially elevated interstate.

Among the alternative designs being considered are versions that remove the downtown interchanges and some that call for the interstate to be sunk below ground level, with local streets crossing over it.

All of the designs will be on display for public input at Wednesday's meeting.

In addition to the public meetings, DOTD is restarting its Connector design committee meetings this week.

For more information on opportunities for public input, visit lafayetteconnector.com.