Saturday, June 11, 2016

Degrading Acadiana's cultural treasure-Vermilionville

Figure 1. This view across the pond at Vermilionville will look directly 
up at the University/Thruway/I-49 interchange and elevated interstate 49.
This photo was taken roughly 600 feet from the proposed Con alignment.
Since opening in 1990, Vermilionville has provided a serene location on the bank of Bayou Vermilion for Acadiana citizens and tourists to learn about and share the history of the Cajun culture. Providing the illusion of an isolated rural village, Vermilionville is a major part of the educational and cultural experience that is passing our culture on to both children and adults who participate in hands-on activities and celebrations. Vermilionville is truly our premier Acadiana cultural attraction.

But, how will constructing the proposed Lafayette I-49 Connector interstate impact this cultural jewel?

To answer this question, let's look at some pictures. Figure 1 is a photo taken from the parking lot of Vermilionville overlooking one of the small lakes at the site. The Evangeline Thruway is just 600 feet away on the other side of this lake ( see camera icon in Figure 2), but it is hidden by trees which also dampen the sound of the urban traffic and add to the illusion of isolation. The plan for the I-49 Connector project (the Con) is to build an elevated interstate above the current ground level path of the Thruway (wide red line at the top of Figure 2).

Currently, traffic moves at speeds at or below 50 mph along the Thruway; after the Con is completed, traffic will move at interstate speeds along an elevated roadway. Figure 3 shows the roadway elevation as it approaches and passes Vermilionville. At speeds below 50 mph, current Thruway traffic noise is dominated by the sound of car and truck engines, but above 50 highway noise is dominated by the higher frequency roar from tires rolling along the pavement. This high speed scream of the interstate will be focused at Vermilionville by northbound traffic dropping from the 45 foot elevation University/Surrey/Frontage Road/I-49 three-level interchange, and then climbing to stay elevated above the hill just north of the Bayou Vermilion bridge (Figure 3). The Vermilionville visitor center entrance is just 1000 feet from the proposed Con roadway, and 2000 feet from the peak of the planned University-Surrey interchange. Noise levels within Vermilionville will destroy all illusion of isolation, and at times may even make normal conversation difficult.

In addition to interstate's traffic noise, cars and trucks topping the interchange will be clearly visible to Vermilionville visitors. At night, the aircraft warning lighting atop the interchange, roadway lighting, and headlights will further reduce Vermilionville's illusion of isolation and serenity.


Figure 2. This is a Google Earth view of the Thruway and Vermilionville.
The path of the Con is plotted at the top, location of the photo (Figure 1),
The Vermilionville Visitor Center, and National Park Service are shown.
Note that north is rotated to the right in this aerial photo.                         
Figure 3. This drawing is adapted from EIS Plate 2a. A side view along the proposed roadway
is drawn here plotting elevation versus roadway distance going north. The red arrow indicates 
the location of Vermilionville which is on the bank of Bayou Vermilion. The shaded area at 
the bottom is below the ground; the solid black line graphs the road elevation. The blue line 
is drawn at 40 ft elevation. The numbers along the  bottom axis (300 and 325) are distances 
along the roadway in hundreds of feet (30,000 and 32,500 feet). Note again that in this figure
north is rotated to the right in this drawing. Elevation on the vertical axis is (I assume) NGVD.

So, how does the Con's Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluate the impact to Vermilionville, and what does it propose as solutions? Answer: Not much!

EIS Section 3.2.6 describes legal requirements placed on DOTD and FHWA by a so-called "section 4(f) properties designation." The EIS states that
Under Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act 49 USC 1653(f), the Federal Highway Administration cannot approve any program or project which requires the use of land from a significant public park, recreation area, wildlife or waterfowl refuge, or historic sites (on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places) unless: (1) there is no feasible and prudent alternative to such use, and (2) the project includes all possible planning to minimize harm to the property from such use.
Speaking of Vermilionville, Beaver Park, and other impacted recreational areas, EIS Section 4.2.3 concludes "A slight noise increase would be expected at Beaver Park for the EA-1 and RR-4 alternatives." and "In general, recreation areas in the corridor would be positively impacted due to the improved accessibility, with increased usage possible once the project is complete." So, the answer is that no negative impact on Vermilionville is considered by the EIS, and nothing will be done to mitigate any impact.

Speaking solely of Beaver Park, section 4.2.3 of the EIS commits not to action, mitigation, or re-design, but rather it commits to the possibly needing to prepare more documents:
Should design details as subsequently developed cause impacts which are not currently apparent, 4(f) and 6(f) applicability would be reviewed by the FHWA and DOTD and statements prepared, if warranted.
So, what is the best alternative for Vermilionville, Beaver Park, all the other recreational, cultural, educational, and religious sites along the Con's alignment? Simply stated:

  • Don't build the Con! 
  • Build a bypass or complete loop!


6 comments:

  1. What about degrading the beauty and unspoiled natural areas affecting drainage and wildlife habitat and migration patterns if built on the Teche Ridge? What about the fact that tens of thousands more will likely flock to Vermilionville annually allowing the organization to promote our culture more effectively around the world? What about the planned developments proposed along that area that were proposed at Imacculate Mary? What about the rejuvenation of the old Trappeys area and the integration of a river walk? Why not plant more trees & create a more dense green barrier? Why not build consensus within the community that the design in this area (which is now conceptual) have a lesser impact? Why not build support for a reduced speed just before the airport so current speeds are maintained? The elevated solution is not good... But there are other options. Let's discuss those too and see if they can ameliorate the problems created by Dotd "conventional wisdom". When we talk about what's wrong... Let's remember to discuss how it could be done right!😊

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have to agree with you on this. It's not impossible. And speeds can be lessened through the area just as they are in other cities.

      Delete
  2. This is David Cheramie, CEO of the Bayou Vermilion District which runs Vermilionville. Whoever runs this site, could he or she please remove our logo from this posting. I have received inquiries as if this was our position. It is not. Please remove our logo immediately.

    Thank you,

    David Cheramie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dr. Cheramie, I'm sorry if this caused confusion. The link to your graphic has been removed.

    I did not intend to confuse readers or imply an endorsement from your organization, and it is difficult for me to imagine that many readers did actually think this was the case. I had simply hoped to use the familiar graphic which I supposed to be in the public domain to show readers the topic of the blog post.

    Do you or your organization have a position on the noise and visual impact of the proposed I-49 Connector on your facility? Do you anticipate commenting if the EIS is revisited?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ummm...really?

    For starters, the actual Vermillionvile theme park is well away from the current Evangeline Thruway, and would not be appreciably impacted with worse noise than it experiences already with the current Thruway.

    Secondly, the profile that was shown in this blog post was adjusted through the original Conceptual Design Study in 2008 to eliminate the sharp gradient and use a less steep grade through either an embankment or a bridge structure. That, along with the construction of parallel frontage roads to maintain local access and continuity, would reduce the risk of high speed local traffic.

    In addition to all that, the Evangeline Corridor Initiative folks have also proposed their own plan of redevelopment of Beaver Park, Vermillionville, and Heymann Park, that would include more greenspace for blocking noise impacts as well as development of a Riverwalk-type facility for tourism. But, I suppose all that is irrelevant to your goal of pushing Teche Ridge or the LRX as the answer, correct?

    ReplyDelete
  5. In addition...the description of "screaming noise" from traffic coming from Kaliste Saloom Road is simply bizarre. The KS offramp would actually split into two segments; one to the northbound mainline I-49 and the other to the adjacent northbound frontage road that would intersect with University/Surrey, then continue as a service road all the way to Pinhook Road to ultimately serve as the northbound Evangeline Thruway for local traffic. The maximum height for the University-Surrey interchange would be 15 feet due to the restrictions of the Lafayette Regional Airport Runway 11-29 fight path (unless the runway displacement happened); and the freeway would return to grade level at the existing Vermilion River crossing. Proper screenage using trees or other means of sound barriers should mitigate any visual or noise impact. In addition, consideration is also being given to elevating both the freeway and the frontage roads to allow for better connections between both sides of Beaver Park, and possibly even integrating the former Trappey's Foods factory into the park space. Once again, the reality doesn't match the myopia.

    ReplyDelete