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

[mcdonaat]

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

It is very confusing. I'm adding pictures to my website later showing LA 524, aka the old alignment of US 165. Surprisingly, the DOTD numbered a highway that should end in an odd number as ending in an even number (swap 524 and 123). LA 524 "South" is signed as East LA 524, and LA 524 "North" is ALSO East LA 524. Confusing? Yes. Especially with the above-mentioned Essen Lane and Siegen Lane having North-South and East-West directional banners. Our state is run by a bunch of idiots who can't sign a highway correctly (go to Street View on the northern terminus of LA 472, where the highway traveling East is signed West - look south of Winnfield, LA) for the entire length. Gets confusing when you have north-south highways signed as east-west. Follow the MUTCD!!!

[RPParish]

I would love to know what the price would be to buy up all the land between College Dr to the Mississippi Bridge. If done right, I-10 and I-110 should be Texas style interstates. I-110 should be at grade to the Governor's Mansion curve. This could be the biggest project in DOTD history.

[mcdonaat]

I would love to know what the price would be to buy up all the land between College Dr to the Mississippi Bridge. If done right, I-10 and I-110 should be Texas style interstates. I-110 should be at grade to the Governor's Mansion curve. This could be the biggest project in DOTD history.

You mean just a straight highway from the bridge to College? That goes right through City Park.

[eXfaktor]

I would love to know what the price would be to buy up all the land between College Dr to the Mississippi Bridge. If done right, I-10 and I-110 should be Texas style interstates. I-110 should be at grade to the Governor's Mansion curve. This could be the biggest project in DOTD history.

I think what they should do is close down the Washington St. exit, the entrance ramps from Braddock(?) St., and build on the lane that used to exit at Washington St. to extend to Dalrymple Drive and be an exit only lane at Dalrymple.

[mcdonaat]

I would love to know what the price would be to buy up all the land between College Dr to the Mississippi Bridge. If done right, I-10 and I-110 should be Texas style interstates. I-110 should be at grade to the Governor's Mansion curve. This could be the biggest project in DOTD history.

I think what they should do is close down the Washington St. exit, the entrance ramps from Braddock(?) St., and build on the lane that used to exit at Washington St. to extend to Dalrymple Drive and be an exit only lane at Dalrymple.

Agreed on that! Not only extend the exit, but take ramp meters and place them on LA 1 coming into Baton Rouge. The biggest problem is the overwhelming amount of traffic that uses I-10 to reach Baton Rouge. If you meter the ramps, people will start to use the old bridge to the north.

Nobody has commented on the fact that traffic from I-10 eastbound entering southbound 110 has to slow to 35 MPH to negotiate that curve? If the curve is easier to navigate, maybe at 60MPH, it would be a huge relief.

[Anthony_JK]

I would love to know what the price would be to buy up all the land between College Dr to the Mississippi Bridge. If done right, I-10 and I-110 should be Texas style interstates. I-110 should be at grade to the Governor's Mansion curve. This could be the biggest project in DOTD history.

Right...let's sever all those major streets serving downtown BTR. Great idea...NOT.

Also, I-110 is already a "Texas-style" Interstate along the CBD, with 9th and 10th Streets serving as access roads.Those left exits are really there to serve traffic coming off of I-10 from the west.

Now, I wouldn't mind getting rid of the depressed segment from the Governor's Mansion curve to Plank Rd/Scenic Highway, and making it more of an elevated highway...that would make it more consistent.

[Anthony_JK]

I think what they should do is close down the Washington St. exit, the entrance ramps from Braddock(?) St., and build on the lane that used to exit at Washington St. to extend to Dalrymple Drive and be an exit only lane at Dalrymple.

Washington Street? Probably so, since the local street system can provide indirect access via the Highland Rd./Nicholson Drive exits/entrances.

And actually, it's Louisa Street...and I probably wouldn't remove it since it is important for local access. Just keep it, and extend it as an auxilliary lane to Dalrymple.

[Anthony_JK]

I think what they should do is close down the Washington St. exit, the entrance ramps from Braddock(?) St., and build on the lane that used to exit at Washington St. to extend to Dalrymple Drive and be an exit only lane at Dalrymple.

Agreed on that! Not only extend the exit, but take ramp meters and place them on LA 1 coming into Baton Rouge. The biggest problem is the overwhelming amount of traffic that uses I-10 to reach Baton Rouge. If you meter the ramps, people will start to use the old bridge to the north.

Nobody has commented on the fact that traffic from I-10 eastbound entering southbound 110 has to slow to 35 MPH to negotiate that curve? If the curve is easier to navigate, maybe at 60MPH, it would be a huge relief.

Don't you mean NORTHBOUND I-110??

Ramp meters only regulate the entry of traffic onto a roadway, they don't completely eliminate it.  And, routing BTR-bound traffic down LA 1 though Port Allen to US 190 is a BAD, BAD idea, especially if there is no upgrade to US 190.

[mcdonaat]

I think what they should do is close down the Washington St. exit, the entrance ramps from Braddock(?) St., and build on the lane that used to exit at Washington St. to extend to Dalrymple Drive and be an exit only lane at Dalrymple.

Agreed on that! Not only extend the exit, but take ramp meters and place them on LA 1 coming into Baton Rouge. The biggest problem is the overwhelming amount of traffic that uses I-10 to reach Baton Rouge. If you meter the ramps, people will start to use the old bridge to the north.

Nobody has commented on the fact that traffic from I-10 eastbound entering southbound 110 has to slow to 35 MPH to negotiate that curve? If the curve is easier to navigate, maybe at 60MPH, it would be a huge relief.

Don't you mean NORTHBOUND I-110??

Ramp meters only regulate the entry of traffic onto a roadway, they don't completely eliminate it.  And, routing BTR-bound traffic down LA 1 though Port Allen to US 190 is a BAD, BAD idea, especially if there is no upgrade to US 190.

Nope!! I'm talking about traffic on I-10 East merging in with southbound I-110 traffic. As in, from BTR Metro towards the 10/12 split. I'm not saying that ramp meters will FORCE people to use the old bridge, but if they are in place, people will consider the bridge to the north.

Your main problem is that I-10 has one lane of thru traffic, and one lane of Washington Street traffic, which is null. Go along Nicholson, and look at the pilings for the Nicholson/Highland exit.. that was your original Washington Street exit. Our complaints are actually the original plans for the Interstate, and until I-10 is treated like a mainline Interstate instead of a measly entrance ramp onto the BR Expressway (the collective name for I-10/110), traffic will continue to snarl.

[Anthony_JK]

OK...I see what you mean...I thought you were talking about that other ramp to northbound I-110.

Me thinks the real problem was that no one thought that I-10 would even go through Baton Rouge...the original plan was for it to use the Sunshine Bridge and go directly from Lafayette to New Orleans, while the original freeway design for BTR was for a north-south highway.

Rebuilding the I-10/I-110 Split interchange to give through I-10 traffic the full ROW (at least two lanes, preferably three) would be the ultimate solution.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I think what they should do is close down the Washington St. exit, the entrance ramps from Braddock(?) St., and build on the lane that used to exit at Washington St. to extend to Dalrymple Drive and be an exit only lane at Dalrymple.

Agreed on that! Not only extend the exit, but take ramp meters and place them on LA 1 coming into Baton Rouge. The biggest problem is the overwhelming amount of traffic that uses I-10 to reach Baton Rouge. If you meter the ramps, people will start to use the old bridge to the north.

Nobody has commented on the fact that traffic from I-10 eastbound entering southbound 110 has to slow to 35 MPH to negotiate that curve? If the curve is easier to navigate, maybe at 60MPH, it would be a huge relief.

Don't you mean NORTHBOUND I-110??

Ramp meters only regulate the entry of traffic onto a roadway, they don't completely eliminate it.  And, routing BTR-bound traffic down LA 1 though Port Allen to US 190 is a BAD, BAD idea, especially if there is no upgrade to US 190.

Nope!! I'm talking about traffic on I-10 East merging in with southbound I-110 traffic. As in, from BTR Metro towards the 10/12 split. I'm not saying that ramp meters will FORCE people to use the old bridge, but if they are in place, people will consider the bridge to the north.

You actually believe folks from the westbank would go north to the old bridge and go back south on Airline to I-12/10 just to avoid ramp meters?!

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

OK...I see what you mean...I thought you were talking about that other ramp to northbound I-110.

Me thinks the real problem was that no one thought that I-10 would even go through Baton Rouge...the original plan was for it to use the Sunshine Bridge and go directly from Lafayette to New Orleans, while the original freeway design for BTR was for a north-south highway.

Rebuilding the I-10/I-110 Split interchange to give through I-10 traffic the full ROW (at least two lanes, preferably three) would be the ultimate solution.

You're thinking of the old Acadian Thruway proposal. That toll road proposal, other than the Sunshine Bridge, ended up collecting mothballs after the 1956 interstate proposal came to be.
I-10 was never proposed to skip Baton Rouge. Somewhere in the stacks amongst the LSU libraries is a book detailing the various proposed routing for I-10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. (When I saw the book, it was located in the Art library (of all places). That room doesn't exist anymore, so I don't know if said book is now at Hill Memorial or Middleton Library)

[NE2]

But I-110 was built very early, so the Acadian Thruway proposal may have still been active when plans were made for the freeway that became I-110.

[mcdonaat]

But I-110 was built very early, so the Acadian Thruway proposal may have still been active when plans were made for the freeway that became I-110.

110 was built as the Baton Rouge Expressway, providing a bypass from Plank Road to the Acadian Thruway. It originally carried US 61/190 BUS before designated as 110/10.

[pctech]

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for any real fix for this problem. The money simply won't exist anytime soon. Any real "fix" will be expensive. The Washington St exit could be closed and the transition lane extended to Dalrymple.
This would be a cheaper "quick fix", but it has "political" issues

Mark

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

But I-110 was built very early, so the Acadian Thruway proposal may have still been active when plans were made for the freeway that became I-110.

110 was built as the Baton Rouge Expressway, providing a bypass from Plank Road to the Acadian Thruway. It originally carried US 61/190 BUS before designated as 110/10.

You mean this Baton Rouge Expressway?

[Anthony_JK]

OK...I see what you mean...I thought you were talking about that other ramp to northbound I-110.

Me thinks the real problem was that no one thought that I-10 would even go through Baton Rouge...the original plan was for it to use the Sunshine Bridge and go directly from Lafayette to New Orleans, while the original freeway design for BTR was for a north-south highway.

Rebuilding the I-10/I-110 Split interchange to give through I-10 traffic the full ROW (at least two lanes, preferably three) would be the ultimate solution.

You're thinking of the old Acadian Thruway proposal. That toll road proposal, other than the Sunshine Bridge, ended up collecting mothballs after the 1956 interstate proposal came to be.
I-10 was never proposed to skip Baton Rouge. Somewhere in the stacks amongst the LSU libraries is a book detailing the various proposed routing for I-10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. (When I saw the book, it was located in the Art library (of all places). That room doesn't exist anymore, so I don't know if said book is now at Hill Memorial or Middleton Library)

More than likely Hill Memorial, because that's where they keep their Louisiana archives...or, at least, where I found them when I used to troll through LSU during my "library rat" days.

I wonder if one of those original proposals included Airline Highway??

[eXfaktor]

The Washington St exit could be closed and the transition lane extended to Dalrymple.
This would be a cheaper "quick fix", but it has "political" issues

Eminent domain South Baton Rouge for this.




Signed, a person of the A. A. ethnic group

[mcdonaat]

Ah yes, that BR expressway. Planned, it was an upgraded Scenic Highway, spanning I-110 for the middle, Perkins Corridor for the south, and connecting to Scenic at Airline. The real fix? Upgrade the old bridge to a six-lane highway, resurface Airline between LA 1 South and LA 415, and create a expressway to I-12. Problem solved.

[pctech]

The 1947 "Baton Rouge expressway" design is much cleaner in the downtown/central business district than the current design which is a major kluge.

Mark

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

The 1947 "Baton Rouge expressway" design is much cleaner in the downtown/central business district than the current design which is a major kluge.

The original idea was for the expressway to become an urban boulevard through the downtown slot. Also, the conceptual alignment followed 8th Street:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77396241@N02/7692554070/in/photostream

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

OK...I see what you mean...I thought you were talking about that other ramp to northbound I-110.

Me thinks the real problem was that no one thought that I-10 would even go through Baton Rouge...the original plan was for it to use the Sunshine Bridge and go directly from Lafayette to New Orleans, while the original freeway design for BTR was for a north-south highway.

Rebuilding the I-10/I-110 Split interchange to give through I-10 traffic the full ROW (at least two lanes, preferably three) would be the ultimate solution.

You're thinking of the old Acadian Thruway proposal. That toll road proposal, other than the Sunshine Bridge, ended up collecting mothballs after the 1956 interstate proposal came to be.
I-10 was never proposed to skip Baton Rouge. Somewhere in the stacks amongst the LSU libraries is a book detailing the various proposed routing for I-10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. (When I saw the book, it was located in the Art library (of all places). That room doesn't exist anymore, so I don't know if said book is now at Hill Memorial or Middleton Library)

More than likely Hill Memorial, because that's where they keep their Louisiana archives...or, at least, where I found them when I used to troll through LSU during my "library rat" days.

I wonder if one of those original proposals included Airline Highway??

One of the "alternate" proposals for I-10 had it essentially following US 190 into Baton Rouge.
Of course the original proposal for I-410 had a connector road between I-10 W to US 190 then following the old bridge onto Airline then turning onto present day I-110.

[mcdonaat]

Fun fact: the original plans for the Miss. River Bridge (the new bridge) called for a four-lane bridge. The FHWA didn't agree, and threatened to hold funding. The DOTD held out and the bridge was built as a six-lane bridge. Wouldn't it be somewhat fun to throw a "told ya so!" at the feds?

Why not upgrade LA 1 to a full-freeway alignment (it's actually kinda needed) from I-10 towards Plaquemine, then cross the bridge to follow the Bluebonnet corridor? 65 or 70 MPH as a southern bypass would relieve the heavy congestion on LA 1, give a reliable crossing for Plaquemine, and allow access to the south side of BR, including the new L'Auberge casino. This would also include an extension of LA 415 across the Intracoastal Waterway to hook up with LA 1 just north of Brusly. Helping two corridors at once is a plus.

Too bad a true bypass couldn't be an upgraded LA 1 to expressway status from Port Allen to Donaldsonville or Gramercy, utilizing the new-ish bridges to cross over to I-10. A revised Acadian Thruway, of sorts.

[RPParish]

I would love to know what the price would be to buy up all the land between College Dr to the Mississippi Bridge. If done right, I-10 and I-110 should be Texas style interstates. I-110 should be at grade to the Governor's Mansion curve. This could be the biggest project in DOTD history.

Right...let's sever all those major streets serving downtown BTR. Great idea...NOT.

Also, I-110 is already a "Texas-style" Interstate along the CBD, with 9th and 10th Streets serving as access roads.Those left exits are really there to serve traffic coming off of I-10 from the west.

Now, I wouldn't mind getting rid of the depressed segment from the Governor's Mansion curve to Plank Rd/Scenic Highway, and making it more of an elevated highway...that would make it more consistent.

I-10 wise, overpasses can be used to connect South BR to Perkins Rd/ Garden District area. I'd say one by Terrace Ave and Washington St. I would think you would have to start elevating somewhere at the start of the I-10 and 110 split so South Br and downtown streets wont be affected.

110 wise, I mean a Texas style with a continuous service road. One where is main purpose is take some traffic off the interstate and puts you on and off the freeway. 9th and 10th st seems like street that just so happen run along an interstate.

I know this will be expensive since we are talking about relocating people but I dont see it being solved without it or a double decker freeway.

[RPParish]

I would love to know what the price would be to buy up all the land between College Dr to the Mississippi Bridge. If done right, I-10 and I-110 should be Texas style interstates. I-110 should be at grade to the Governor's Mansion curve. This could be the biggest project in DOTD history.

You mean just a straight highway from the bridge to College? That goes right through City Park.

Well, I imagine that the city park interstate would remain the same with added lanes. My main concern in that area is the houses that are located close to the interstate. Those are the expensive land and houses that I would like to know how much it will cost to move them in a perfect world. Im sure there are some important people that live there.