How in the world did the Louisiana West Bank get a Business Banner?

[roadman65]

An age old question to be asking, but how did US 90 Business get bannered as such from New Orleans to Elmwood, LA? Considering it goes through no business districts along its almost all freeway route and it's built to better standards than the mainline US 90 it bypasses as US 90 is mostly arterial with many stoplights between the two business endpoints.

[The Ghostbuster]

As you all are likely aware, the freeway segment of US 90 Business was proposed and approved to be given the Interstate 910 designation in 1999. It was to be used as a temporary Interstate designation until the Interstate 49 extension from Lafeyette and New Orleans was completed. However, Louisiana's DOTD did not go forward with the designation, so US 90 Business will remain a business route until 49 is completed.

[bwana39]

It was built in the late fifties / early 1960's. It was before the time anyone thought of freeways being numbered as State highways. So it was numbered as US-90 Business. At that point virtually all of the federally financed highways everywhere carried US (or later, IH) highway numbers.

This designation is a really old holdover from the late 1950's. So I have read there was discussion to label it as US-90 and relabel US-90 as the business route, but at the time there was still discussion of the eventual upgrade of Either Jefferson Highway or Earhart Street to freeway and connect it to downtown (via Claiborne Ave.) as freeway. The connector between the east end of Earhart Expressway and Claiborne Avenue is still undeveloped. (So is between the same point on Earhart and Airline Hwy.)

Politics dictated to call the new road the business route and retain US-90 on the east bank.  There was an opportunity to relabel it as I-910 but between the expense and the (at the time perceived) short time frame until it would be re-labeled as a through interstate it was never changed.

[roadman65]

As you all are likely aware, the freeway segment of US 90 Business was proposed and approved to be given the Interstate 910 designation in 1999. It was to be used as a temporary Interstate designation until the Interstate 49 extension from Lafeyette and New Orleans was completed. However, Louisiana's DOTD did not go forward with the designation, so US 90 Business will remain a business route until 49 is completed.

Another question is why US 190 Business in Slidell a business route when the mainline serves the business district and the business route serves residential areas of the city with no business activities. Not to mention that US 190 Business is a spur and not a loop as it terminates at US 11 on its west end.

Seems like LaDOTD needs a 101 on how to label highways.

[bwana39]

As you all are likely aware, the freeway segment of US 90 Business was proposed and approved to be given the Interstate 910 designation in 1999. It was to be used as a temporary Interstate designation until the Interstate 49 extension from Lafeyette and New Orleans was completed. However, Louisiana's DOTD did not go forward with the designation, so US 90 Business will remain a business route until 49 is completed.

Another question is why US 190 Business in Slidell a business route when the mainline serves the business district and the business route serves residential areas of the city with no business activities. Not to mention that US 190 Business is a spur and not a loop as it terminates at US 11 on its west end.

Seems like LaDOTD needs a 101 on how to label highways.

Business US-190 was the original. When the new US-190 was built (in the early-1970's) it was a somewhat rural bypass. That was over 50 years ago. Old downtown Slidell is just south of Business 190 just east of US-11. US-190 has turned into the de facto commercial district but it is like this almost everywhere. the current US-190 east of US-11 actually was completed almost concurrently to I-10. I-12 west of Slidell was still not open. I-12 from US-11 to I-10 was complete, but it would be assumed much of the traffic continued on US-190 to I-10 even after that completion then. The next year I-12 was opened to the (rural) SH-434. The reason for the obtuse curve at the east end of Slidell on US-190 was due to a cancelled extension out to I-10.

[Anthony_JK]

An age old question to be asking, but how did US 90 Business get bannered as such from New Orleans to Elmwood, LA? Considering it goes through no business districts along its almost all freeway route and it's built to better standards than the mainline US 90 it bypasses as US 90 is mostly arterial with many stoplights between the two business endpoints.

I would think that the original concept of the West Bank Expressway was to provide a major arterial highway corridor for development of the West Bank communities (Gretna, Algiers, Westwego, Marrero, Elmwood) and to have a connection between downtown NOLA across the Mississippi River via the GNO Bridge with existing US 90 near the Huey P. Long Bridge. Thusly, it was built to expressway standards with the Harvey Tunnel included, and with upgradability to freeway standards down the line. Hence, the designation as US 90 Business, even as the main line of US 90 crossed over to Jefferson Highway.

The upgrade to Interstate standards from Ames Boulevard east, including the Harvey Canal High Rise and the removal of tolls along the Crescent City Connection, was done with eventual upgrade to full Interstate freeway standards to US 90 in mind; the I-910 designation was intended to be a placeholder until the rest of I-49 South was completed to Lafayette. Main issue is, it can't be publicly signed as I-910 until the West Bank Expy. is fully Interstate grade all the way to US 90, per the rule that signed Interstate spurs must end at an NHS-designated or US route. Hence, the I-910 is hidden.

[roadman65]

An age old question to be asking, but how did US 90 Business get bannered as such from New Orleans to Elmwood, LA? Considering it goes through no business districts along its almost all freeway route and it's built to better standards than the mainline US 90 it bypasses as US 90 is mostly arterial with many stoplights between the two business endpoints.

I would think that the original concept of the West Bank Expressway was to provide a major arterial highway corridor for development of the West Bank communities (Gretna, Algiers, Westwego, Marrero, Elmwood) and to have a connection between downtown NOLA across the Mississippi River via the GNO Bridge with existing US 90 near the Huey P. Long Bridge. Thusly, it was built to expressway standards with the Harvey Tunnel included, and with upgradability to freeway standards down the line. Hence, the designation as US 90 Business, even as the main line of US 90 crossed over to Jefferson Highway.

The upgrade to Interstate standards from Ames Boulevard east, including the Harvey Canal High Rise and the removal of tolls along the Crescent City Connection, was done with eventual upgrade to full Interstate freeway standards to US 90 in mind; the I-910 designation was intended to be a placeholder until the rest of I-49 South was completed to Lafayette. Main issue is, it can't be publicly signed as I-910 until the West Bank Expy. is fully Interstate grade all the way to US 90, per the rule that signed Interstate spurs must end at an NHS-designated or US route. Hence, the I-910 is hidden.

I-195 in New Jersey wants to talk. It ends at NJ Route 34. BTW the last time I checked Route 34 in NJ was not a US route or interstate designation.

[Mapmikey]

I-195 in New Jersey wants to talk. It ends at NJ Route 34. BTW the last time I checked Route 34 in NJ was not a US route or interstate designation.

Both NJ 34 and NJ 138 are NHS routes.  See here for a map of Monmouth County NHS routes

Also, all of US 90 Bus is on the NHS, so I-910 can end anywhere along it.

[roadman65]

I-195 in New Jersey wants to talk. It ends at NJ Route 34. BTW the last time I checked Route 34 in NJ was not a US route or interstate designation.

Both NJ 34 and NJ 138 are NHS routes.  See here for a map of Monmouth County NHS routes

Also, all of US 90 Bus is on the NHS, so I-910 can end anywhere along it.

I-16 in Savannah, GA ends at Montgomery Street. Not a NHS.

[Bobby5280]

I think it's pretty weird they've left the freeway they built over the Westbank Expressway not completed for the past nearly 40 years. I was a kid living in Gretna when they first started building the freeway as well as the second Greater New Orleans River Bridge. It's pretty bad that it has to take an extension of I-49 clear from Lafayette to complete a job that should have been finished back in the 1980's.

[Mapmikey]

I-195 in New Jersey wants to talk. It ends at NJ Route 34. BTW the last time I checked Route 34 in NJ was not a US route or interstate designation.

Both NJ 34 and NJ 138 are NHS routes.  See here for a map of Monmouth County NHS routes

Also, all of US 90 Bus is on the NHS, so I-910 can end anywhere along it.

I-16 in Savannah, GA ends at Montgomery Street. Not a NHS.

Excuse my ignorance, but where is this rule actually written?  It is not in 23 USC 103. I'm willing to bet I-16 is older than this rule.

[roadman65]

I'm not up to date on rules, but if your implying that there is a grandfather clause in effect as if what your saying the rule is new, then I will take it as an acceptable answer to my question.

[Mapmikey]

I'm not up to date on rules, but if your implying that there is a grandfather clause in effect as if what your saying the rule is new, then I will take it as an acceptable answer to my question.

I should have checked before posting, but Montgomery St was US 17-80 when I-16 was built

[roadman65]

I'm not up to date on rules, but if your implying that there is a grandfather clause in effect as if what your saying the rule is new, then I will take it as an acceptable answer to my question.

I should have checked before posting, but Montgomery St was US 17-80 when I-16 was built

I may be wrong, but I believe MLK Blvd one block to the west was US 17-80 as Montgomery was always one way. MLK ( formerly Broad Street was always two way.  Although, Norristown, PA has US 202 coupled along two way Markley Street ( SB) and one way DeKalb Street (NB).

[Mapmikey]

I'm not up to date on rules, but if your implying that there is a grandfather clause in effect as if what your saying the rule is new, then I will take it as an acceptable answer to my question.

I should have checked before posting, but Montgomery St was US 17-80 when I-16 was built

I may be wrong, but I believe MLK Blvd one block to the west was US 17-80 as Montgomery was always one way. MLK ( formerly Broad Street was always two way.  Although, Norristown, PA has US 202 coupled along two way Markley Street ( SB) and one way DeKalb Street (NB).

Montgomery was US 17 NB and Broad (now MLK) was US 17 SB per the 1980-81 Georgia Official Map.  I-16's begin/end is configured to meet those movements, with the "through" movement being to/from South Carolina.