Highway 3152 - Clearview Parkway
Clearview Parkway weaves northward from the Huey P. Long Bridge and Jefferson Highway through a commercial corridor at Elmwood to Folse Drive in a residential area off Lake Pontchartrain. The congested arterial provides a direct link from the West Bank for U.S. 61 (Airline Drive) and Interstate 10 to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) and Metairie. LA 3152 lines the route between U.S. 90 and I-10.
The long standing traffic circle at the north end of the Huey P. Long Bridge joining U.S. 90 with Jefferson Highway and Clearview Parkway (LA 3152) was initially proposed for removal in 2001. With the opening of a new Wal-Mart store nearby on October 24, 2001, an anticipated traffic of 3,400 vehicles per day was expected to overrun the rotary. Jefferson Parish announced the closure of the circle in February 2001 as part of plan to add turn lanes, U-turns and traffic signals between the two highways. The $1 million improvement project was designated to accommodate the increased traffic from the new Wal-Mart. Following complaints from other area businesses, the parish opted to delay the circle project in March 2001.1
The traffic circle at Elmwood remained in service to March 2002, after Jefferson Parish officials sided with business owners of an industrial park off Jefferson parkway. The businesses argued that the circle closure would affect them by redirecting semi trucks several extra blocks to reach them. By this time DOTD officials had insisted on closing the traffic circle.2
The circle remained in operation until the $1.2 billion Huey P. Long Bridge expansion project. It was finally eliminated in Fall 2010, when the Jefferson Highway overpass above it was demolished and replaced with a signalized intersection. The change was needed to accommodate work on the eventual new flyovers linking Clearview Parkway with the expanded Mississippi River bridge.3 The new flyover from U.S. 90 (Huey P. Long Bridge) west to Clearview Parkway north opened on April 29, 2012.4
North
LA 3152 separates from a two lane off-ramp taking U.S. 90 east from the Huey P. Long Bridge to Jefferson Highway (LA 48).
05/09/15
The Clearview Parkway northbound flyover navigates through a series of braces supporting the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad component of the Huey P. Long Bridge.
05/09/15
The two lane bridge lowers to merge with an on-ramp at speed limits reduce to 45 miles per hour.
05/09/15
LA 3152 transitions into a busy six lane commercial arterial from the left turn to Corporate Drive to Mounes Street west.
05/09/15
The subsequent northbound signal operates at Village East Street, the entrance to Elmwood Plaza shopping center.
05/09/15
Clearview Parkway exits the Elmwood commercial strip through a directional cloverleaf interchange with LA 3139 beyond Citrus Boulevard.
05/09/15
Citrus Boulevard connects Clearview Parkway with additional big box retail, apartments and industrial areas to north Harahan.
05/09/15
LA 3152 maintains six overall lanes through the exchange with LA 3139 as two lanes depart for Earhart Expressway west to Harahan and east to Jefferson.
05/09/15
The first reassurance marker for LA 3152 north stands within the Earhart Expressway exchange.
05/09/15
Only 4.8 miles of the Earhart Expressway were completed. The freeway ends at Dickory Avenue just to the west and at the New Orleans city line to the east. Proposals from the 1960s to 2001 called for the route to extend west to either MSY Airport or Interstate 310 in St. Charles Parish.
05/09/15
Clearview Parkway elevates to pass over a set of railroad lines after LA 3139.
05/09/15
Right in, right out ramps connect the north side of LA 3152 with Newman Avenue at the viaduct end.
05/09/15
LA 3152 enters the congested intersection with U.S. 61 (Airline Drive) next. U.S. 61 travels east-west from its beginning in New Orleans to Metairie, Kenner, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) and Gonzalez.
05/09/15
Clearview Parkway transitions into a tree lined boulevard north from Airline Highway.
05/09/15
Metairie Avenue heads west from Causeway Boulevard to LA 49 (Williams Boulevard) at the city of Kenner. The signalized intersection with LA 3152 uses Michigan Lefts.
05/09/15
Napoleon Avenue mirrors the course of Metairie Avenue west across Clearview Parkway with a canal based median.
05/09/15
A lane drop occurs at the forthcoming on-ramp for Interstate 10 east to New Orleans and Slidell.
05/09/15
A heavily commercialized area buffets the cloverleaf interchange joining Clearview Parkway with Interstate 10.
05/09/15
Interstate 10 travels with ten overall lanes between LA 3152 and Causeway Boulevard in Metairie.
05/09/15
Clearview Parkway continues north as an unnumbered boulevard to Veterans Parkway and residential areas along Lake Pontchartrain. Motorists looping onto Interstate 10 west reach I-310 south in six miles and Baton Rouge in 69 miles.
05/09/15
South
LA 3152 begins within the Clearview Parkway cloverleaf interchange at Interstate 10.
05/09/15
Clearview Palms shopping center, Tulane Lakeside Hospital and a densely packed business park line the South I-10 Service Roads within the immediate vicinity of Clearview Parkway.
05/09/15
An S-curve takes Clearview Parkway into a signalized intersection with Napoleon Avenue. Napolean Avenue comprises a four lane boulevard with a canal lining its median.
05/09/15
Clearview Parkway gains a tree lined median through residential areas south of Napolean Avenue.
05/09/15
Metairie Avenue crosses paths with LA 3152 at the succeeding signal on Clearview Parkway southbound. A Michigan Left connects the parkway south with Metairie Avenue east.
05/09/15
LA 3152 south formerly began at Metairie Avenue. A short distance further is King Street, where a traffic light operates for nearby East Jefferson High School.
05/09/15
Approaching the congested intersection with U.S. 61 (Airline Drive) on LA 3152 (Clearview Parkway) south. The shields for U.S. 61 pictured here were missing by 2015.
11/20/08
U.S. 61 (Airline Drive) forms a busy commercial arterial west to Kenner and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) and east to Metairie and New Orleans.
05/09/15
Clearview Parkway angles southwest and elevates across Hilton Drive and a set of railroad tracks to a directional cloverleaf interchange with LA 3139 (Earhart Expressway).
05/09/15
All traffic bound for LA 3139 (Earhart Expressway) departs in unison from LA 3152 (Clearview Parkway) south. The freeway ends a short distance to the west at Dickory Avenue by the city of Harahan.
05/09/15
A loop ramp takes motorists onto LA 3139 (Earhart Expressway) east to Jefferson and Holly Grove in New Orleans. The exchange with LA 3152 here opened in 1986.
05/09/15
A reassurance marker for LA 3152 south precedes the on-ramps from LA 3139, as the Earhart Expressway mainline passes overhead.
05/09/15
Curving southeast, Clearview Parkway enters a heavily developed commercial corridor, starting with a big box retail center at the ensuing traffic light.
05/09/15
Citrus Boulevard winds west from the Elmwood Center to several apartment complexes and plants for both Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
05/09/15
Fast food restaurants line the east side of Clearview Parkway as motorists enter the intersection with Village East Street to Elmwood Center.
05/09/15
Mounes Street stems west from Clearview Parkway through an industrial area to Dickory Avenue.
05/09/15
A lane drop occurs beyond the traffic light with Corporate Drive for the Jefferson Highway off-ramp. Signs omit U.S. 90 and LA 48, which follow Jefferson Highway west to Harahan and east to Jefferson respectively.
05/09/15
An improvement made during the $1.2 billion project to expand the Huey P. Long Bridge added a flyover ramp to directly link LA 3152 (Clearview Parkway) south with U.S. 90 west to Avondale.
05/09/15
The two lanes of LA 3152 south form the initial mainline of the Huey P. Long Bridge across the Mississippi River. The dual rail and highway bridge opened to traffic in 1935.
05/09/15
U.S. 90 west merges onto the Huey P. Long Bridge from Jefferson Highway as LA 3152 south ends. Three lanes continue south to the West Bank communities of Jefferson Parish.
05/09/15
Archive - South
LA 3152 (Clearview Parkway) south at Corporate Drive. The tree lined median here was replaced with flyovers for the Huey P. Long Bridge.
11/20/08
The former signalized intersection with Elmwood Oaks Shopping Center on Clearview Parkway south. The parkway mainline now bypasses the shopping center directly to the Huey P. Long Bridge. The retail plaza is still accessible from the Jefferson Highway off-ramps.
11/20/08
A traffic circle connected ramps from U.S. 90 (Jefferson Highway) west and LA 48 (Jefferson Highway) east with LA 3152 (Clearview Parkway) at grade. Often cited for safety concerns with plans to remove it starting in 2001, the rotary was taken out by 2010 during work to widen the Huey P. Long Bridge.
11/20/08
A locomotive powered northward across the rail portion of the Huey P. Long Bridge. The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad owns the crossing.
11/20/08
Overpasses previously carried the Jefferson Highway mainline across Clearview Parkway at the Huey P. Long Bridge. Now the reverse occurs with LA 3152 traveling above.
11/20/08
A traffic light operated on the north side of the traffic circle connecting Clearview Parkway with Jefferson Highway. Motorists turning east onto U.S. 90 crossed the Huey P. Long Bridge north end at a yield sign.
08/02/02
References:
- "Traffic circle near superstore still open - Decision to close it has proved elusive." Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA), October 23, 2001.
- "State to rethink closing circle - Agency orders study of Elmwood traffic." Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA), March 11, 2002.
- "Changes ahead for Huey P. Long drivers - Traffic circle will be phased out." Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA), September 27, 2010.
- "Wider lanes debut soon on Huey P. Long Bridge - Officials get preview of the 'Big Switch'." Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA), April 24, 2012.
Photo Credits:
- Alex Nitzman: 05/09/15
- AARoads: 08/02/02, 11/20/08
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Page Updated Monday October 03, 2016.