Baton Rouge Loop

[eXfaktor]

The billions of dollars that would have been spent on the loop can be used to upgrade the key arterials in Baton Rouge and put in some new alternatives. A toll bridge in Iberville Parish, for example, would link not only Plaquemine and St. Gabriel, but by extension Plaquemine, Dutchtown, Gonzales and Prairieville. Plus continued upgrades on Airline Highway and the completion of widenings of I-10 and I-12 to the east and south, AHEAD of the obivous growth patterns of Metro B.R.

[Scott5114]

What you're thinking of is the "Yellow Book" map for Baton Rouge and that actually predates the Interstate system act of 1956 by 5-10 years.

Are you saying the routes on the Baton Rouge map predate the Interstate act by 5-10 years?  Because the Yellow Book itself is dated 1955, only one year prior.

No I'm saying ALL the maps in the Yellow Book predate the Interstate act by 5-10 years.
I'm saying the maps for the Yellow Book go back to Interregional Highways Book.
But from colecting maps of Cleveland, Columbus, and Baton Rouge that show the proposed routes (that we see in the Yellow Book) dating from the late 40s/early 50s. 

Hmm, have you got a cite for that? It's my understanding that all the planning prior to the Yellow Book was focused on rural, intercity traffic. The first "plan" for the interstate system was when Franklin D. Roosevelt went out to lunch with the BPR chief and drew him a map on a napkin of possible Interstate corridors. According to McNichol, when Eisenhower signed the Act of 1956 he intended the system to be more German, with the Interstates skirting major cities. It wasn't until he saw the I-395 tunnel construction that he got pissed, made a few calls, and found out about the Yellow Book. But by then, he was already nearly out of office and didn't want to jeopardize the plan, so he just let it slide.

That's not saying that the drafters of the Yellow Book didn't rely on/collect and compile city expressway system planning maps, which I'm sure do date back to the forties in some cases...

[UptownRoadGeek]

No more talk of the extended Westbank Expwy idea?

[eXfaktor]

No more talk of the extended Westbank Expwy idea?

I KINDA like it... but I'm not sold on a fully-controlled access route. It would have to skirt the edges of the developed areas along the Mississippi River, and I think that LA 1 functions well as a key corridor from Addis to White Castle. From there it's LA 3127, but the key with any bypasses for B.R. would be relieving traffic... which I don't think a Westbank highway would help

[Anthony_JK]

No more talk of the extended Westbank Expwy idea?

I KINDA like it... but I'm not sold on a fully-controlled access route. It would have to skirt the edges of the developed areas along the Mississippi River, and I think that LA 1 functions well as a key corridor from Addis to White Castle. From there it's LA 3127, but the key with any bypasses for B.R. would be relieving traffic... which I don't think a Westbank highway would help

You could make LA 1 a full freeway from the I-10 Port Allen interchange down to LA 70, with bypasses of Addis,  Plaquemine, and Donaldsonville, and then upgrade LA 70 through the Sunshine Bridge to connect with I-10 south of Sorrento/Gonzales. South of LA 70, widening LA 3127 to four lanes would suffice for the present.

Extending existing LA 415 as an surface 4-lane arterial to meet LA 1 near Addis and connecting it with LA 30 near Gardere with a new bridge across the Mississippi wouldn't hurt, either.


Anthony

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

No more talk of the extended Westbank Expwy idea?

I KINDA like it... but I'm not sold on a fully-controlled access route. It would have to skirt the edges of the developed areas along the Mississippi River, and I think that LA 1 functions well as a key corridor from Addis to White Castle. From there it's LA 3127, but the key with any bypasses for B.R. would be relieving traffic... which I don't think a Westbank highway would help

You could make LA 1 a full freeway from the I-10 Port Allen interchange down to LA 70, with bypasses of Addis,  Plaquemine, and Donaldsonville, and then upgrade LA 70 through the Sunshine Bridge to connect with I-10 south of Sorrento/Gonzales. South of LA 70, widening LA 3127 to four lanes would suffice for the present.

Extending existing LA 415 as an surface 4-lane arterial to meet LA 1 near Addis and connecting it with LA 30 near Gardere with a new bridge across the Mississippi wouldn't hurt, either.


Anthony

Theres supposed to be a new road/exit between I-10 & LA 1 in the pipeline. While not heading to Addis, it is supposed to bypass the BR port.

[eXfaktor]

You could make LA 1 a full freeway from the I-10 Port Allen interchange down to LA 70, with bypasses of Addis,  Plaquemine, and Donaldsonville, and then upgrade LA 70 through the Sunshine Bridge to connect with I-10 south of Sorrento/Gonzales. South of LA 70, widening LA 3127 to four lanes would suffice for the present.

Extending existing LA 415 as an surface 4-lane arterial to meet LA 1 near Addis and connecting it with LA 30 near Gardere with a new bridge across the Mississippi wouldn't hurt, either.


Anthony

Essentially a NEW freeway would be built (I think that's what you mean by the bypasses); i don't think they can upgrade LA 1 as is to a freeway b/c it's like Airline Highway (from Port Allen to Plaquemine) and the Evangeline Thruway (downtown Plaquemine and White Castle). You COULD expand it to four lanes from W.C. to Donaldsonville, and connnect all that to 3089, which is the access road to the Sunshine Bridge.
And as far as the bridge, a new one in the location you suggested, maybe just south of Addis connecting to LA 30 near Gardere would really help everybody, b/c as much as Ourso (Iberville Parish President) goes on about a bridge south of Plaquemine, it relieves traffic on I-10 by providing an alternate route across the river for Iberville and WBR residents, as well as for chemical industry in East Iberville (St. Gabriel/Sunshine/Carville). They would have to build a hi-rise bridge for LA 415 across the intracoastal b/c of the proximity of the highway that is completed to the canal's levee.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Looks like the Baton Rouge Loop is going back into moth balls.
Life support has been taken off and the last rites are being given.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/96198609.html?showAll=y&c=y
P.S. After the articles, look at the comments beneith it.  The responses seem to go in every direction (politically).

[andy3175]

I know the Baton Rouge Loop is also discussed in the general Louisiana thread (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=79.msg2116175#msg2116175) but I also thought it's worthwhile to bring this separate thread back as the loop discussion continues. It's doubtful for the time being that it will get much further than the current study without a substantial infusion of funding ... from somewhere. And it is still very controversial.

Recent article: http://theadvocate.com/news/14928793-100/ascension-officials-again-pushing-for-iberville-location-for-a-new-bridge-in-the-proposed-baton-roug

As the state and business groups mull the best location for a new Mississippi River bridge location south of Baton Rouge, Ascension Parish officials continued to press for a crossing south of Plaquemine that officials in neighboring Iberville also want.

Just days before another public comment period ends Monday on the long-churning Baton Rouge Loop environmental review process, the Ascension Parish Council petitioned federal highway officials for the Plaquemine crossing to remain in the highway's final proposed corridor.

The 90- to 105-mile, toll-funded beltway would encircle the Baton Rouge area with interstate-style highways and two river crossings.

The Ascension Parish Council has once before stated its preference for the Plaquemine crossing, but the final proposed Loop corridor now up for comment eliminates that crossing in favor of two spots upriver in West Baton Rouge Parish. ...

The future of the $4 billion to $5 billion Loop seems uncertain, however, as state government faces the worst financial crisis in a generation and a highway backlog approaching $13 billion.

Former Ascension Parish President Tommy Martinez also declared the south section of the Loop dead several years ago, while new funding has been blocked.

The concept remains a potent issue in some parts of the region as Livingston Parish officials, long critics of the northern half of the Loop, adopted their third resolution last month opposing the plan.

But enough money was on hand to finish the first key phase of study, a so-called Tier 1 environmental review, which is coming to an end with this last round of comments, said Mike Bruce, a senior principal with Stantec who has been working on the Loop for years.

Official site: http://www.brloop.com/