Anyone who has driven through Baton Rouge during rush hour will agree we need to revamp our clogged interstates and backlogged exit ramps.The Capitol Area Expressway Authority (CAEA) — composed of the parish presidents of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston and West Baton Rouge — has proposed a $4 billion loop to surround Baton Rouge.Initially, a loop sounds like the perfect solution to our congestion woes. But closer examination reveals several critical errors concerning the efficiency and practicality of this project.The residents of Baton Rouge seem to have the notion the loop will somehow magically decrease traffic. But given the maps the loop committee designed, it is obvious this loop is more of a bypass for Baton Rouge rather than a structure designed to relieve the traffic problems within the city itself.It is not surprising the CAEA hasn’t realized this, as it has yet to conduct a study to determine how the loop would relieve Baton Rouge’s traffic problems.In addition to errors of logic, the CAEA is guilty of silencing dissenting viewpoints. Take for example the city of Central, one of the areas the loop will affect most.The loop will split Central into north and south sectors in the most obnoxious way possible — a Berlin Wall would result because federal highway regulations require a loop of this nature to be surrounded by high walls on either side.Naturally, residents of Central took issue with this. A meeting was held at Zoar Baptist Church in late 2007 and roughly 1,000 people fought to be heard.However, the CAEA declared the meeting was not an “official” function, therefore the exchanges there were conveniently “off the record.”In other words, the opinion of Central residents didn’t matter.Perhaps the CAEA is so eager to disregard Central City because it would produce the highest toll revenue for the loop. A similar ploy was pulled Thursday. The CAEA called a meeting at the BREC Independence park to give Central a chance to “voice their opinion.” But those who showed up were not allowed to give public testimony. What ensued was informal dialogue that was, once again, off the record.This faux meeting was merely propaganda and had no actual impact on the progress of the loop.Furthermore, the CAEA has yet to present a way to pay for the loop, for all that it’s presented as a closed deal.The total cost is an estimated $4 billion, only $1.4 billion of which would come from state or federal funds, leaving a remainder of $2.2 – $3.1 billion to be paid for by private investors. But no private investors have stepped forward to pick up the tab.There are several alternatives to this loop plan. Because the interstate itself is the problem, we should simply widen it starting first at the problem areas.”With $1 billion, we could widen I-10 to Gonzales, widen I-12 to Walker, widen Florida Boulevard to Walker, and build a new bridge over the Amite River from Hooper Road to Watson,” Central City editor Woody Jenkins said. This would ease the drive from Baton Rouge to these areas.In addition to strategically widening the interstate, an “inner loop” could be built as a supplementary measure. Essentially, this entails widening rural roads to further ease congestion.Not only would such methods cost less than the proposed loop, but they would actually serve the people of Baton Rouge rather than those seeking to bypass it.Linnie Leavines is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Central City.——Contact Linnie Leavines at [email protected]