Interstate 49 (I-49) is an Interstate Highway that spans 243.36 miles (391.65 km) in a north–south direction in the US state of Louisiana. It runs from I-10 in Lafayette to the Arkansas state line north of Shreveport, largely paralleling the older U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) corridor, and connects the state's two east–west Interstates at two of its metropolitan centers. Along the way, it serves the cities of Opelousas, Alexandria, and Natchitoches, intersecting several cross-state highways, such as I-20, US 190, US 167, US 165, and US 84.