Fixing the Baton Rouge I-10 Bottleneck: Take #3,970

[Anthony_JK]

If at first you don't suceed....well, you know the rest.

From today's Baton Rouge Advocate:

DOTD chief pushes for I-10 Baton Rouge corridor fix

Reopening a volatile topic, the secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development said Thursday her agency will soon seek public input on ways to improve traffic between the Mississippi River Bridge and the Interstate 10/12 split.

"I hope we can come up with some innovative solution,"  said Sherri LeBas, who heads DOTD, the department that oversees roads and bridges in Louisiana.

"I just know somebody is going to come up with a solution,"  LeBas added.

Roughly a decade ago LeBas' agency tried to widen I-10 from the foot of the bridge to Essen Lane.

But the $200 million proposal died amid a firestorm of criticism.

Business owners and others in the Perkins Road overpass area said the work threatened their livelihoods, and one of the most distinctive neighborhoods in Baton Rouge.

Residents in the Washington and Carolina street area, just east of the spot where motorists leave the bridge, also blasted the state's plan.

"It got stomped,"  LeBas said of the earlier proposal. "I don't want that to happen again."

State leaders say the issue has to be addressed because the four-mile corridor is the site of nearly daily traffic tie-ups.

"We would be doing ourselves a disservice if we did not at least look at solutions for that corridor,"  LeBas said.

LeBas made her comments to the American Council of Engineering Companies of Louisiana, which heard from a variety of top state officials on road, infrastructure, business and other issues.

About 125 people were expected for the daylong gathering.

The state is already spending $1.2 million for a consultant's study on possible answers to the traffic tie-ups.

Meetings to get public input may begin as early as January, said Jodi Conachen, director of communications for DOTD.

LeBas said those gatherings will include a film in which she urges residents to offer options for improvements, not just opposition to possible answers.

"Come to us and work with us; don't just complain,"  she said of the film's message.

LeBas told the group she knows that coming up with answers will be a challenge.

"I have friends that live in that area,"  she said.

"They tell me they are going to try to kill the project,"  LeBas added. "I say please don't do that."

LeBas said she is well aware of the appeal of the Perkins Road overpass area.

"I love the look and the feel of it,"  she said.

"But I am hoping we can find a solution that can still make that a very inviting place yet we have some kind of way to improve traffic along that corridor."

LeBas also said she does not see widening I-10 as the only way to address the problem.

"At this point we are open,"  she said. "So I really don't have any preconceived notions on what it is going to look like."

Among other problems, eastbound motorists leaving the bridge on the inside lane have to get off at Washington Street or change lanes.

Critics say that means a coast-to-coast interstate suddenly turns into one lane.

Meanwhile, eastbound motorists on I-10 often slow or even stop to use the Washington Street exit, which boosts chances for collisions in one of the most heavily traveled spots in the Baton Rouge area.

How much any possible solution would cost is unclear.

One of the few new sources of state road funds – up to $300 million per year – is still five years away, LeBas told engineers.

That infusion of money would stem from the redirecting of state funds to highway coffers once state budget conditions improve.

From the comments received so far, most folks favor a southern bypass of I-10 from Lobdell to Gonzalez as a solution.

Here's my comment:

Funny, but the people clamoring for a loop now seem to be the same ones who were moaning about where the last loop would go.

I'm all for a southern loop of I-10 from Westport/Port Allen to Gonzales...but that would still do nothing much for the traffic using I-10 to get through to I-12. But, I thought that that was what the northern loop was for.

Best solution is the most direct:

1) fix the I-10/I-110 Split interchange so that through traffic on I-10 have at least three lanes in each direction clear (and you can do this while retaining the Washington St. exit for traffic from/to I-110; the Highland/Nicholson exits should be more than suitable enough for traffic from I-10);

2) One-way continuous access roads along I-10 starting at Perkins Road and ending near Essen Lane, with an elevated "turnaround" between Acadian and the I-10/I-12 Split;

3 )Upgrade LA 1 to freeway standards between Port Allen and Donaldsonville, with bypasses where needed at Addis and Plaquemine; and then use the Sunshine Bridge and an upgraded LA 70 to reach I-10 S of Gonzales;

4) Build a 4-lane connector extension of LA 415 from I-10 near Lobdell to LA 1 near Addis;

and;

5) Complete I-49 South/US 90 upgrade to freeway standards at least to Morgan City, including the segments through Lafayette. THAT'S your real bypass.

Anthony

[lamsalfl]

There desperately needs to be a new Mississippi River bridge similar to the ones in New Orleans.  Put it slightly north of the current one.  Look at aerials.  You'd have to take out a few buildings but that's part of the solution.  Then, well you may have to bite the bullet, expropriate some land, and completely redo the I-110 interchange.  Also, you might have to bite the bullet again and acquire another 25 feet of right-of-way to add the extra lane to make it consistent with the I-10 lanes east of Acadian Thruway.

[Truvelo]

My solution would be an I-410 running from east of exit 139 crossing I-10 near exit 166 and joining I-12 near exit 19. A bypass would move through traffic out of Baton Rouge completely and would avoid the need for costly and distruptive work on the urban sections of I-10 and I-12. My assumption is based on there being a significant amount of through traffic. If the congestion is caused by local commuters during the rush hour then a bypass would be pointless. Sorry, that is one part of the country I've never yet visited but looking at maps it appears that it's a classic case of having freeways running through a large urban area without a bypass forcing local and through traffic to compete for road space.

[UptownRoadGeek]

It's a mixture of through traffic and suburban commuters.  You have a lot truck traffic passing through from the I-12 corridor as well as commuters who are funneled onto the I-10 which has a lot of commuters mixed in with NO-Houston traffic. It also doesn't help that Baton Rouge doesn't have a functional surface street system although they are working towards achieving that as of late. Also the souther part of Baton Rouge is a regional shopping destination. If it were up to me I'd route New Orleans area thru-traffic around the south side of Baton Rouge and rejoin I-10 across the river somewhere. Not only would NO traffic miss BR proper, but traffic from the west heading to southern BR could miss it as well. There would still need to be work done to the existing system however.

[Anthony_JK]

There desperately needs to be a new Mississippi River bridge similar to the ones in New Orleans.  Put it slightly north of the current one.  Look at aerials.  You'd have to take out a few buildings but that's part of the solution.  Then, well you may have to bite the bullet, expropriate some land, and completely redo the I-110 interchange.  Also, you might have to bite the bullet again and acquire another 25 feet of right-of-way to add the extra lane to make it consistent with the I-10 lanes east of Acadian Thruway.

That would be an excellent idea...except for the fact that you would also have to totally rework the I-10/LA 1 interchange, too..which also provides access to the Port of West Baton Rouge as well.

Reworking the 10/110 Split so that I-10 flows much freer (similar to the I-10/US 69 interchange in Beaumont) would be the best scenario.


Anthony

[brownpelican]

The 10/110 split MUST be revamped, with at least two lanes for I-10 east. This is the main reason for the traffic headaches for those heading east on I-10 and southbound on I-110. How in the world this was allowed in the first place baffles me.

[pctech]

I like the dual bridge idea, build something similar to the Crescent City Connection in downtown NOLA. The interchanges on both sides of the Miss. river would have to be reworked. While you are at it, rebuild that horrid section of I-110 north with all the "left handed" exits from I-10 to the governors mansion curve. Of course the problem with all this is the $$$$$ required to do any of it.

[Anthony_JK]

Like I said previously,building a dual bridge across the Mississippi for I-10 would not only be prohibitively expensive, but would require totally trashing and rebullding the LA 1 interchange. The latter in and of itself would be a clusterhotmess due to the fact that that interchange also serves the Port of West Baton Rouge, and there's a major UP rail line running parallel to LA 1 as well.

The left-handed exits on I-110 N/B (North St. and Florida St.) do serve a legit purpose: they are the main exits downtown for traffic coming from I-10 east to I-110 north, and they mesh with the left entrance ramp from I-10 E to I-110 N. Traffic from I-10 W to I-110 N going downtown are encouraged to use the 10th St. exit, which feeds into the local access road system for the CBD.

Anthony

[mcdonaat]

Like I said previously,building a dual bridge across the Mississippi for I-10 would not only be prohibitively expensive, but would require totally trashing and rebullding the LA 1 interchange. The latter in and of itself would be a clusterhotmess due to the fact that that interchange also serves the Port of West Baton Rouge, and there's a major UP rail line running parallel to LA 1 as well.

The left-handed exits on I-110 N/B (North St. and Florida St.) do serve a legit purpose: they are the main exits downtown for traffic coming from I-10 east to I-110 north, and they mesh with the left entrance ramp from I-10 E to I-110 N. Traffic from I-10 W to I-110 N going downtown are encouraged to use the 10th St. exit, which feeds into the local access road system for the CBD.

Anthony

Agreed completely! I commute in from WBR, and always use the 190 bridge... there's a dual bridge system, and if there was a proper connector from I-10 to 190 without going 55 mph or through stoplights, the old bridge could be widened and retrofitted to make a proper connection. Airline takes me no more than 10-15 minutes to get from the bridge to where 61 meets 12, and the major intersections are converted into cloverleafs. The only problem are the clearance height limits.

[Anthony_JK]

Like I said previously,building a dual bridge across the Mississippi for I-10 would not only be prohibitively expensive, but would require totally trashing and rebullding the LA 1 interchange. The latter in and of itself would be a clusterhotmess due to the fact that that interchange also serves the Port of West Baton Rouge, and there's a major UP rail line running parallel to LA 1 as well.

The left-handed exits on I-110 N/B (North St. and Florida St.) do serve a legit purpose: they are the main exits downtown for traffic coming from I-10 east to I-110 north, and they mesh with the left entrance ramp from I-10 E to I-110 N. Traffic from I-10 W to I-110 N going downtown are encouraged to use the 10th St. exit, which feeds into the local access road system for the CBD.

Anthony

Agreed completely! I commute in from WBR, and always use the 190 bridge... there's a dual bridge system, and if there was a proper connector from I-10 to 190 without going 55 mph or through stoplights, the old bridge could be widened and retrofitted to make a proper connection. Airline takes me no more than 10-15 minutes to get from the bridge to where 61 meets 12, and the major intersections are converted into cloverleafs. The only problem are the clearance height limits.

I'm not so sold on Airline Highway; they would have to build an overpass at the Choctaw Drive/CN-IC rail crossing, and eliminate that KCS at-grade crossing between the old bridge and Scenic Highway before it could be considered even close to being an alternative to I-10/I-12.

Also, LA 415 is adequate for what it does as a connector between US 190 and I-10, though I wouldn't mind it beiing extended south and east to connect with LA 1 near Addis. Though, that would require a bridge across the Intercoastal Waterway.

The northern BR Toll Loop did have a proposal for either retrofitting and upgrading the old bridge or building a new bridge parallel to the new one.  It would have also overlaid US 190 from rouughly LA 415 to near Plank Road before breaking off to the NE.


Anthony

[mcdonaat]

I'm not so sold on Airline Highway; they would have to build an overpass at the Choctaw Drive/CN-IC rail crossing, and eliminate that KCS at-grade crossing between the old bridge and Scenic Highway before it could be considered even close to being an alternative to I-10/I-12.

Also, LA 415 is adequate for what it does as a connector between US 190 and I-10, though I wouldn't mind it beiing extended south and east to connect with LA 1 near Addis. Though, that would require a bridge across the Intercoastal Waterway.

The northern BR Toll Loop did have a proposal for either retrofitting and upgrading the old bridge or building a new bridge parallel to the new one.  It would have also overlaid US 190 from rouughly LA 415 to near Plank Road before breaking off to the NE.


Anthony

LA 415 doesn't really provide a quick alternative to 190 unless you're headed away from BR. The fly ramps are perfect for that, but not so much for 10 EB to 190 EB.

My idea is... build an interchange about halfway between Grosse Tete and LA 415. Hook it into 190 as a Y-interchange, and bump 190 up to 65 MPH instead of 55 on the tree-lined part. Then, take Plank Road and upgrade it to a higher-capacity road and then hook it into Hooper with a high speed interchange. Turn off of Hooper Road after Mickens Road and use the undeveloped area to go all out and tie in the expressway with the Central Thwy that's being built.

In fact, here's a map that I made showing the route: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=215825787868366898560.0004c015d1ae5ab05e59b

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Wasn't there a plan to build a connector road from I-10/LA 415 to La 1, south of the Port, in the last couple of years?

[pctech]

What ever approach is actually done, it will be expensive for sure.

[mcdonaat]

What ever approach is actually done, it will be expensive for sure.

Of course it will.. with the state worrying more about rural routes than the major ones, I think we're playing catch-up! By the way, if you look at my avatar... according to the DOTD (went and talked to them today), that's all you'll see around the state from here on out. I think that the road would need to connect through I-10 and LA 76 to US 190 to make a connector viable. Maybe LA 1 TRUCK?

[pctech]

I don't mind the new LA state highway signs. They are more visible. It reminds you of the Texas DOT system.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

What ever approach is actually done, it will be expensive for sure.

Of course it will.. with the state worrying more about rural routes than the major ones, I think we're playing catch-up! By the way, if you look at my avatar... according to the DOTD (went and talked to them today), that's all you'll see around the state from here on out. I think that the road would need to connect through I-10 and LA 76 to US 190 to make a connector viable. Maybe LA 1 TRUCK?

From my own contacts with them, the DOTD intends to replace all the green shields since monochrome shields are cheaper to produce. IMO, while I will miss the green shields and would like to continue their use in some capacity (for marking 'secondary' state routes, perhaps?), the monochromes are far superior in terms of visibility.

There is or was an active proposal, btw, to construct an LA 415 connector; the last I heard tolls were being considered. The ICWW spur canal will have to be bridged via a high level structure, so I assume this is the major delaying factor.

[mcdonaat]

How about, for now, build HOV lanes? Two in each direction, make them free of charge, and see how much traffic it alleviates. If it's a huge amount of traffic, then you can look at making Airline a freeway. Hate to say it, but it was By-Pass US 61/190 at one time, so return the former glory. All you have to do is look at the 10/110 split and see two lanes westbound, three northbound, with a giant TO US 61 shield. No reason at all to have five exit lanes on north/west bound, but basically two exit lanes on east/south bound.

[pctech]

Are there HOV lanes anywhere in Louisiana currently?

[froggie]

The reversible lanes on the Crescent City Connection are HOV.  I believe that's it.

[mcdonaat]

Other than on the CCC, there are no other ones. It would make sense to use them in BR, but it and New Orleans are the only two cities large enough to employ them

[brownpelican]

I don't mind the new LA state highway signs. They are more visible. It reminds you of the Texas DOT system.

I'm glad they made the state signs larger...at least in my area (Northshore).

[pctech]

Now if DODT only learn how to mark directions. 

Mark

[mcdonaat]

Now if DODT only learn how to mark directions. 

Mark

On some roads, I prefer it not to be marked LA 472 in my neck of the woods (Grant Parish) is a north-south road with an east-west number. Literally, it parallels US 167 and is signed for an east-west direction. The only problem is, it slightly bows out a little... meaning the northern terminus travels east of the highway... but the directional shield is West LA 472. Also, LA 151 travels in a north-south direction, but makes an arc and falls south. It crosses US 80 and I-20 twice, meaning it swaps directional shields. It confuses the heck out of me.

[pctech]

I believe that DODT is directionally challenged. Here in B.R.  Essen lane crosses both I-10 and I-12. At I-12 Essen is signed as north-south, at I-10 Essen is signed east-west. The same applies to Siegen  Ln.  at I-10 it's signed as north-south, at Airline highway (U.S. 61) it's signed as east-west.

Mark

[NE2]

Isn't it DOTD?