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Open house set for I-49 proposal Shrimp Festival royalty wear decorated shrimp decorated shrimp boats parade down the delcambre Canal after the blessing boots while walking to the blessing of the shrimp fleet on Sunday. of the fleet Sunday during the 74th delcambre Shrimp Festival.
BOATS, BOOTS and a BLESSING Shrimping takes center stage at delcambre festival
The Rev. daniel Picard blesses the fleet during the 74th delcambre Shrimp Festival on Sunday.
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAd KEMP
Associated Press
WEATHER HIGH 96 LOW 78 PAGE 6A
The public may soon review and comment on the recently signed environmental impact statement for the proposed Interstate 49 Lafayette Connector. An open house is scheduled from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 2 at the Downtown Convention Center, 124 S. Buchanan St., in Lafayette. Oral public comments will begin at 6 p.m. and continue until everyone who wishes to speak has had the opportunity to do so. Comment is limited to three minutes per person. The proposed six-lane partially elevated freeway through the city between Lafayette Regional Airport and the current terminus of I-49 at Interstate 10 is part of a larger plan to extend I-49 from Canada to the West Bank of New Orleans. The Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement of the Lafayette Connector will be available for review at the open house. Those attending will have the opportunity to review the project at their convenience and ask questions, and submit written comments at that time. Displays will show the general location and design features of the project; the purpose and need of the project; right-of-way acquisition process and relocation assistance program; anticipated social, economic and environmental impacts; and consistency with local urban planning goals and objectives. The project is expected to cost billions and will be funded in phases. This is the second time the connector project has gone through this process. A federal record of decision was issued in 2003, but the project never advanced. When the connector project was resurrected in 2016, the community pushed back against the original plans, plus too much time had passed, warranting a reevaluation.
Corps of Engineers has Planned container granted permits authorizing of the Louisiterminal set for construction ana International Terminal, St. Bernard Parish which will be located in Vio-
BY JULIA FRANKEL, SAMY MAGDY and WAFAA SHURAFA
ä See GAZA, page 5A
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR
Staff writer
N.O. port gets building permits
U.S., Israel meet on Gaza ceasefire JERUSALEM — A marathon meeting Monday between U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the fate of the Gaza ceasefire unclear, with officials signaling moderate optimism but offering no concrete commitment by Israel to the latest U.S.-proposed plan. Hamas has already agreed to the proposal. American negotiators appeared to acquiesce to Israeli demands that Hamas disarmament must come
Public comments sought for revived connector project
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
PROVIdEd IMAGE
A rendering shows plans for the proposed Louisiana International Terminal in Violet in St. Bernard Parish.
The Port of New Orleans has secured a key federal approval for its planned container terminal in St. Bernard Parish, a major step forward in the yearslong effort to build a facility that will help the region remain competitive in global trade. In a release Monday, the port said the U.S. Army
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let about 17 miles downriver of New Orleans. The facility, which is expected to cost at least $2.6 billion, according to the most recent estimates, is considered critical for Louisiana’s maritime economy because the giant container ships that account for a growing share of world shipping are too large to journey upriver and safely pass under the
ä See PORT, page 5A
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