Louisiana 3XXX highways - glorified parish roads or meaningful highways?

[mcdonaat]

Since people seem to be asking about our 4-digit highways, I thought that maybe some things could be tossed around here. I was driving on LA 75 (which actually caused me to get lost) and found LA 75 Spur in the middle of nowhere, consisting of a state owned bridge. The same was on LA 3066 Spur, just consisting of a bridge. Also came across LA 327 Spur (Gardere Lane, one of a few state highways that ends at a former state highway), LA 415 Spur (the ramp from US 190 to LA 415), and LA 987-3 Spur.

My question is... could most 3XXX highways be signed as a spur of a parent route, or a 12XX route? In Baton Rouge alone, LA 3045 is Capital Access Road, which could be LA 1270. LA 3064 is Essen Lane, which could be an extension of the old LA 425, or a current spur of LA 427. LA 3246 is Siegen Lane, a connector between LA 427 and LA 73/US 61... could be a spur of LA 73. The basic question is... should the state look into reducing the amount of 3XXX routes? No more will ever be created, period, so it would be a good time to renumber some roads.

[NE2]

Also: L-3139: U-61-Bus?

[mcdonaat]

Also: L-3139: U-61-Bus?

Or Alt. US 61

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

Some 3xxx state highways (LA 3127, LA 3139, LA 3152) can be considered primary routes. Most, though, are redundant or don't serve a statewide function and can be dispensed with. Same goes for the vast majority of the LA Spur routes. I would look into re-assigning lower SR numbers from the non-important low numbered routes (I'm looking at you, LA 141) to the important 3xxx routes.

[Alex]

Some 3xxx state highways (LA 3127, LA 3139, LA 3152) can be considered primary routes. Most, though, are redundant or don't serve a statewide function and can be dispensed with. Same goes for the vast majority of the LA Spur routes. I would look into re-assigning lower SR numbers from the non-important low numbered routes (I'm looking at you, LA 141) to the important 3xxx routes.

The thing I ponder about some of the more important ones, is why do they only encompass a portion of the road to which they are assigned? The ends of 3152 are kind of arbitrary and why only assign LA 3046 to the southernmost section of Causeway Boulevard?

[mcdonaat]

My main idea is that the lower importance 3XXX routes be assigned a 12XX or 13XX number, or a spur/loop/business route of another lower number. Sure, most of the 3XXX routes can be dispensed of, and others can be given back to the parish police juries. I'm mainly looking at LA 3164 (Scenic Highway, should be US 61 BUS), LA 3245 (should be LA 427 Spur), or LA 3002 (LA 16 Alternate)... and those are just in the BR area.

In response to the recent post, it's ALL political. Here's my answer to that map... LA 3152 - deleted. LA 3155 - deleted. LA 3261 - renumbered to LA 611-3*. LA 3139 - Alternate US 61, or By-Pass US 61.

*LA 3261 WAS, in fact, LA 611-3 at one time. LA 3154 was 611-12. LA 3046/3262 was LA 611-4. LA 3155 was LA 611-13, and extended all the way to LA 48.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

Some 3xxx state highways (LA 3127, LA 3139, LA 3152) can be considered primary routes. Most, though, are redundant or don't serve a statewide function and can be dispensed with. Same goes for the vast majority of the LA Spur routes. I would look into re-assigning lower SR numbers from the non-important low numbered routes (I'm looking at you, LA 141) to the important 3xxx routes.

The thing I ponder about some of the more important ones, is why do they only encompass a portion of the road to which they are assigned? The ends of 3152 are kind of arbitrary and why only assign LA 3046 to the southernmost section of Causeway Boulevard?

LA 3152 has since been extended north to I-10 and south to US 90/LA 48. In exchange, most of the 611 series with the exception of 611-1, 611-9, and 611-3 south of US 90 have been returned to local control; also, the Central Avenue portion of LA 48 (between US 61 and 90) and LA 3046 Spur were decommissioned. Causeway Boulevard north of Airline Highway was constructed at the same time as the eponymous bridge and that may have something to do with its absence from the state highway system.

[Alex]

LA 3152 has since been extended north to I-10 and south to US 90/LA 48. In exchange, most of the 611 series with the exception of 611-1, 611-9, and 611-3 south of US 90 have been returned to local control; also, the Central Avenue portion of LA 48 (between US 61 and 90) and LA 3046 Spur were decommissioned. Causeway Boulevard north of Airline Highway was constructed at the same time as the eponymous bridge and that may have something to do with its absence from the state highway system.

Thanks for the heads up on this, the only GIS data I could find for LADOTD highways was a 2007 file from the entergy web site.

Did catch this swap:

LA 3261 WAS, in fact, LA 611-3 at one time

I would appreciate any state highway changes since that time frame as I have been working on an expanding geodatabase for SELA from which to craft maps.

Some of what I have is posted:
https://www.aaroads.com/guide.php?page=i0310la - Portion of St. Charles Parish
https://www.aaroads.com/guide.php?page=i0510la - Greater New Orleans
https://www.aaroads.com/guide.php?page=u0011la - Slidell area

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

I would appreciate any state highway changes since that time frame as I have been working on an expanding geodatabase for SELA from which to craft maps.

Here are the most current LaDOTD parish and district maps showing state highways: http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/home.aspx

[Alex]

I would appreciate any state highway changes since that time frame as I have been working on an expanding geodatabase for SELA from which to craft maps.

Here are the most current LaDOTD parish and district maps showing state highways: http://www.dotd.la.gov/planning/mapping/home.aspx

I was wondering where general highway maps of the parishes were, thanks for the link!

So looking at the Jefferson north map, gone in addition to what you wrote about LA-48 are:
LA-611-2,
LA-611-3 north of US 90
LA-611-4
LA-611-5
LA-611-8
LA-3046 Spur
LA-3262
LA-3261
LA-560-3
LA-560-1
LA-3018 south of US 90 Business

Also it appears LA-3046 is gone, is that the case?

[agentsteel53]

is 611-9 gone?



2006 photo of a very rare 16" shield

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

LA 3046 and LA 611-9 still exist.

Also, another decommissioned route: 613-1, better known as Metairie Hammond Highway, and never signed in the field as far as I know. It had long been disconnected from the rest of the state highway system.

[The High Plains Traveler]

Since I totally don't understand Louisiana state highway numbering: what is the significance of hyphenated routes vs. a 3000-series route? I don't see a LA-611 anywhere in the vicinity of the map above.

I still like the LA-99-1/2 that I see on 1950-vintage maps in northern Louisiana.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

Since I totally don't understand Louisiana state highway numbering: what is the significance of hyphenated routes vs. a 3000-series route? I don't see a LA-611 anywhere in the vicinity of the map above.

Hyphenated state highways are routes that are connected but in discontinuous sections, so that the route resembles a web rather than a straight line. The base number is to the left of the hyphen and the section number is to the right.

3xxx routes were numbers assigned after the 1955 renumbering. Routes 1-1241 were assigned in 1955, and new routes were given 3xxx numbers afterward. In the last 10 years or so, the state has been giving 12xx numbers to new routes, counting upward from 1242.

[NE2]

In Florida's pre-1980s system, those would be 611A, 611B, etc. (They started using letter suffixes when they realized they'd run out of numbers otherwise.) But there would usually be a 611 they all branched off of.

[The High Plains Traveler]

Since I totally don't understand Louisiana state highway numbering: what is the significance of hyphenated routes vs. a 3000-series route? I don't see a LA-611 anywhere in the vicinity of the map above.

Hyphenated state highways are routes that are connected but in discontinuous sections, so that the route resembles a web rather than a straight line. The base number is to the left of the hyphen and the section number is to the right.

3xxx routes were numbers assigned after the 1955 renumbering. Routes 1-1241 were assigned in 1955, and new routes were given 3xxx numbers afterward. In the last 10 years or so, the state has been giving 12xx numbers to new routes, counting upward from 1242.

I promise not to beat this dead horse any further, but was there ever a 611 that was later chopped up, or did the state envision a series of related roadways that could be linked by a 611- nexus?

[mcdonaat]

To answer your question... no. The route numbers are given disconnected segments on purpose, but they all connect to other state routes. Rarely do LA 1281-1 and LA 1281-2 ever connect (made them up). I've also received word that LA 141, which has been severed, is actually going to be renumbered LA 141-1 and LA 141-2. Keeps the same route number, but two disconnected segments exist.

The state never envisions any connections between the hyphenated routes. They're treated as a "family of routes" that are never actually connecting to each other, but serve as a general highway. LA 950 was a general family of state routes in Baton Rouge... all 17 children were later deleted.

[roadman65]

I noticed that in Houma, the LA 3040 designation along MLK Boulevard, Tunnel Boulevard, and the one way pairs of Bond and Honduras Streets has no directional banners.  It runs in a semi circle so I can understand why it lacks directional signage, but what does LaDOT consider it to be?

[mcdonaat]

I noticed that in Houma, the LA 3040 designation along MLK Boulevard, Tunnel Boulevard, and the one way pairs of Bond and Honduras Streets has no directional banners.  It runs in a semi circle so I can understand why it lacks directional signage, but what does LaDOT consider it to be?

LA 3040 is considered east-west if it isn't signed otherwise. Directional signage is pretty much used if a highway goes from one major arterial to another. An example is LA 416, a highly used road between LA 1 and LA 415; it gets directional signage. LA 415, on the other hand, follows the river, and is a leisure road; LA 1 is the bypass of LA 415. Therefore, LA 415 gets no signage from New Roads to LA 1. However, where LA 415 meets LA 415 Spur/TO US 190, LA 415 picks up directional signage, because it's used as a road between US 190/LA 1 and I-10.

However, if you drive along US 190, you'll see that LA 1 will sometimes get directional banners, and sometimes it won't. I think that LA 1 is used as just a concurrency, since that road is known as US 190 by people driving along it, and the directional banners aren't needed as frequent.

[Alex]

I revised my SELA geodatabase to reflect the truncations and former state highways and remade all of the maps.

One state highway change that was not posted about above that I discovered was the removal of LA-41 Spur at Pearl River and the revision of LA-3081 so that it ends at I-59 now. This also coincides with the piece of LA-3081 north of old LA-41S being revised as LA-3081 Spur. I-59 signs for LA-41 Spur were greened out with LA-3081.

[mcdonaat]

I revised my SELA geodatabase to reflect the truncations and former state highways and remade all of the maps.

One state highway change that was not posted about above that I discovered was the removal of LA-41 Spur at Pearl River and the revision of LA-3081 so that it ends at I-59 now. This also coincides with the piece of LA-3081 north of old LA-41S being revised as LA-3081 Spur. I-59 signs for LA-41 Spur were greened out with LA-3081.

Sometimes, highways are omitted from the state highway map simply due to a lack of space to mark the roads. LA 987-3 is one such road that is shown as looping under LA 415 in Lobdell; the segment that connects mainline LA 987-3 to LA 415 south of the railroad is LA 987-3 Spur. Also, LA 327 and LA 327 Spur have been moved, and roundabouts are in place.