Louisiana

[Anthony_JK]

To be fair, it's a corridor where light rail makes some sense.  It's not like they'd be running it out to an empty swamp or something...

I'm assuming that this proposed light rail corridor will link to/with the St. Charles Ave/Canal St. trolley line, amirite??

[UptownRoadGeek]

I'm assuming that this proposed light rail corridor will link to/with the St. Charles Ave/Canal St. trolley line, amirite??

AFAIK it would link with the Loyola line which in turn connects to the Canal St line.

[pctech]

What is the proposed route to the airport? Does it follow in the existing rail corridor?

[froggie]

I'd think they'd try to tie development nodes together instead of following what is already a busy freight rail corridor.  I'd expect them to either follow Airline Hwy or swing north and follow Veterans.  Both have commercial nodes that would benefit from light rail.

[froggie]

Meanwhile, I've started sketching out a concept for the oft-discussed proposal to tear down I-10/Claiborne and replace it with a surface boulevard.  It'll be similar to what I recently did for the I-20/59 Birmingham proposal.  Will post a map once completed (possibly in a couple weeks once I'm back stateside).

[UptownRoadGeek]

I'd think they'd try to tie development nodes together instead of following what is already a busy freight rail corridor.  I'd expect them to either follow Airline Hwy or swing north and follow Veterans.  Both have commercial nodes that would benefit from light rail.

Last time it was actually brought up to the public, which has been at least a year, the only way to get Baton Rouge (govt.) to even entertain the idea was to use existing railroad ROW. Most likely it will run along Airline/Earhart as that's the most feasible way to connect with UPT, but I really like the idea of running down Vets and that would probably provide easier access to the new airport.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

The two rail proposals that I am aware of are as follows:

Interurban rail between New Orleans and Baton Rouge - in most plans I have seen, this is slated to utilize the KCS railroad line between the cities. The NO terminus would be UPT and the BR terminus would be in the vicinity of the railroad crossing at Florida Street just outside downtown. There would be intermediate stops at various intervals along the route; proposed stops include Mall of Louisiana vicinity, Gonzales, LaPlace, and Kenner. This rail line would serve the transportation need that was previously served by the now-cancelled LASwift bus service.

East-West Corridor light rail between MSY and downtown New Orleans - this has been proposed since the 1990s and has always been planned to utilize the old KCS railroad ROW adjacent to Airline Highway. This is more of a hybrid commuter rail line/fast trip to the airport for tourists.

[UptownRoadGeek]

A few years back Jefferson Parish decided that they wanted more stops and routing that would spur/attract development, I'm assuming because within the last 3 years they have found themselves fighting a losing battle with New Orleans for new development. That idea didn't go over well with the powers upriver so they now plan to study, or they may have already started, for a streetcar set up along Vets to connect major retail areas, etc. It would terminate at the airport, but the challenge is connecting it to the city where they're looking to get most of their riders.

I have to admit if that it turns out to be feasible and can attract development along the stations like Houston or Atlanta I would rather see it along Airline.


Also if anybody hasn't noticed, DOTD has started installing overhead VMS signs along the I-10 and 610 while the 610 is also undergoing a major resurfacing and signage replacement. They have also installed a diagrammatic clearview bgs at the I-10 entrance at S Carrollton.

[pctech]

The Baton Rouge-New Orleans intercity rail is a "no brainer". It requires some political leadership at the capitol.
We're not talking super expensive high speed rail, but normal 80-90 mph trains possibly eventually working up to 110mph.
I remember reading somewhere that "light rail" and "heavy rail" can't cross each other because of safety concerns. Anyone know if it's true?

[NE2]

I remember reading somewhere that "light rail" and "heavy rail" can't cross each other because of safety concerns. Anyone know if it's true?

False: https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.917983,-75.255497&spn=0.001186,0.001772&gl=us&t=k&z=20&layer=c&cbll=39.917897,-75.255529&panoid=KqAY9Cfyhup-thEnarwYCg&cbp=12,202.15,,0,9.74 (though it's possible that new construction can't)

They can't share tracks (except if they operate at separate times of day).

[UptownRoadGeek]

It can be done but usually the railroad companies, who ultimately have final say in the matter, won't allow it because it will "disrupt" their freight operations. This has been an ongoing problem with one of the new streetcar lines in New Orleans. RTA vs Norfolk Southern.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

One issue, besides funding, that has stymied the NO-BR intercity passenger rail is that the folks who are talking about this and planning this haven't really done much to reach out to KCS to start with. KCS has been pretty consistent, though, in holding that any passenger service should not disrupt the regular freight service on the line, so maybe the planners decided to work on the funding first and then tackle the logistics later.

I don't see why a bus service similar to LA Swift wouldn't suffice for the corridor. Buses offer more flexibility and don't have to accommodate railroad freight schedules. The LA Swift did see a good bit of use (10,500 riders per month according to their website). It could at least act as a stopgap until more money and political will were available for rail transit, if that is absolutely desired by the public and their representatives in state government.

Another question: If Louisiana couldn't or wouldn't pony up the couple million or so dollars annually to operate the LA Swift service, I'd love to know where they plan to find the $$ to operate and maintain a more capital and labor intensive transit mode. From what I have heard, Amtrak/the fedgov isn't interested in assuming the responsibility, either; they would only become involved in conjunction with a substantial commitment by the state.

[UptownRoadGeek]

Another question: If Louisiana couldn't or wouldn't pony up the couple million or so dollars annually to operate the LA Swift service, I'd love to know where they plan to find the $$ to operate and maintain a more capital and labor intensive transit mode.

Which is exactly why I was surprised to see it listed in the 14-15 plan. Only thing that I can honestly see causing them  to take interest is the 2018 Tricentennial, which is also when the new airport is scheduled to be open, and the fact that the city is in the top 3 for the 2018 Superbowl bid. The last Superbowl led to a lot of investment from the state and city up until the last minute. They are currently in talks to handover the ferries to Veolia, who manages RTA. I would assume that they would do the same with any other form of transit that the state.

I could be completely wrong, but who knows.

[pctech]

I agree that LA Swift service loss is regrettable. It seems that we can always find money for things like subsidizing the New Orleans Saints..... It's a matter of priorities.

[lamsalfl]

The newly repaved I-610 is nice, but they haven't changed any signs yet or turned on the new VMS.

[froggie]

New airport...?

[UptownRoadGeek]

New airport...?

The current design calls for building from from the ground up on the north side of the current left/right runway with a new entrance from Loyola. All of the current building will be torn down except for the newest portions which will be converted to general aviation and or charters. DOTD has also hinted at adding a full Y interchange at Loyola as part of there I-10 widening from Veterans to Loyola. Cesar Pelli who designed the glass terminal at Reagan National is a part of the design team as well. Apparently the funding is already in place minus the billion they'll probably over run and the city and aviation board has vowed to have it open just in time for the Tricentennial and a possible Superbowl.

The newly repaved I-610 is nice, but they haven't changed any signs yet or turned on the new VMS.

They began replacing signage at interchanges last week. I haven't seen any on the actual mainline yet.

[froggie]

So, in short, a new terminal building in the northwest corner with primary access off Loyola.  How will they handle access to/from Airline, since most of the park-and-fly lots are along Airline?

It would also reinforce Veterans as a more logical light rail routing.

[nolia_boi504]

DOTD has also hinted at adding a full Y interchange at Loyola as part of there I-10 widening from Veterans to Loyola.

Do you know what the projected start/end dates are for the Veteran to Loyola I-10 widening?

Also, the airport access would make more sense to me if the exit to eastbound (NOLA bound) I-10 were via the airport access road on the east side of the runway, using the existing direct connectors to I-10. These would probably need to be modified to allow traffic to go around the N/S runway.

I don't think it makes sense to drive a few miles west to get onto Loyola, in order to head east towards downtown. It makes sense for Baton Rouge bound traffic to exit the airport via Loyola, however.

If the plans are for traffic in and out of the airport to only flow through the Loyola interchange, will there be a reason to keep the existing airport access road and I-10 ramps?

[UptownRoadGeek]

In short, yes. The Vets approach would be a lot less complicated and the ROW is essentially there for the taking. The tricky part is getting from Veterans to UPT. It's a matter of which affluent neighborhood association would you rather upset. The easiest approach would probably be through Lakeview, but they're still somewhat up in arms over the proposed streetcar terminus which is actually across the street, but not actually in, their neighborhood. Old Metairie, not going to happen. If there was a way to run it along the 17th St canal and then down the Palmetto St/Washington Ave canals onto the existing RR tracks that would be perfect, but it's probably not feasible. Airline is safe and gets the job done.

This is the best plan view of it that I could find.

[froggie]

Now that I'm back from sea, I was able to upload the rendition I recently created of the proposal to remove the I-10 Claiborne Expressway.  Details are in a separate thread.

[roadman65]

Does anyone know what is up with the Canal Street Ferry in New Orleans?  I see vehicles are no longer carried with the boats running designed for passengers only.

[UptownRoadGeek]

Does anyone know what is up with the Canal Street Ferry in New Orleans?  I see vehicles are no longer carried with the boats running designed for passengers only.

The state has begun phasing out the N.O. area ferries since a judge turned over the CCC toll extension. DOTD claims that it doesn't have the funding to support a full service operation so the Canal St-Gretna ferry has been docked and the Canal St-Algiers ferry has been reduced to pedestrian only. They were in talks with the company who operates the Regional Transit Authority to handover responsibility of the ferries, but Westbank residents are balking at the fare increases that are being proposed in that scenario.

The newly repaved I-610 is nice, but they haven't changed any signs yet or turned on the new VMS.

Clearview overhead signage has started going up on the 610 and supports for VMS signage has been erected on the I-10 in both directions between the Bonnabel and Oaklawn overpasses.

[roadman65]

I do not like the new all yellow exit tabs on I-10 EB at the 610 split.   I saw them the other day and was not impressed with.

Plus Alex told me clearview is not to be used on exit tabs as they also did as well.

[cjk374]

Anyone know where parish shields are located in Louisiana? I have Natchitoches, EBR, WBR, St James, Richland, Desoto, Rapides, Grant, and Winn photographed already.

Go down US 80 into Lincoln Parish.  They still have some up on some of the roads between the parish line and Choudrant.