Green Light Plan

[Antrell Williams]

(is the quote button working for anyone?)

I agree about Airline, some red lights need to be removed for overpasses. Traffic volume is too heavy for red lights at all major and minor intersections.

[all2neat]

I sit in the joke that is Airline every day. There are some basic improvements that would go a long way. For example, Southbound Airline where Jefferson merges between Bluebonnet and Siegen, have the ramp create a lane to Siegen.

[richyb83]

Green is the color: A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held this morning to mark the completion of the first phase of the Stumberg Lane extension project near Pecue Lane and Airline Highway. The project is the 27th completed as part of the parish's Green Light Plan roadway improvement initiative. J.B. James Construction of Baton Rouge completed the $6.3 million project in just under 10 months. Click here

http://www.businessreport.com/section/daily-reportAM

[richyb83]

Nearly 1/2 of the new section of South Harrell's Ferry Road is rural in character....wonder if this changes now?? The next phase can't finish soon enough for the small businesses/Southeast Middle School with all of the delays.

Break out the big scissors: A ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of the first phase of work on South Harrell's Ferry Road, a Green Light Plan project, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday in front of Printing Tech, 11930 South Harrell's Ferry Road. The project is the 28th to be concluded under the parishwide road improvements plan. James Construction Group of Baton Rouge completed the $13.2 million, 1.8-mile road construction project on South Harrell's Ferry Road, which included widening the former two-lane, open ditch roadway into a new four-lane configuration that has sidewalks and a raised median from South Sherwood Forest Boulevard to Millerville Road. Click here for more details on the project and the ribbon cutting.

http://www.businessreport.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=daily-reportPM&date=20120807

[Antrell Williams]

It indeed changes its makeup. Nicholson will be the next to have a drastic change, in my opinion.

[nquint1]

Noticed this in the Property of the Week section of Real Estate Weekly today. I had no idea there were plans to replace the Lobdell fire station. Hopefully, after they tear down the fire station at 545 Lobdell, they redesign the Lobdell/Government/Independence intersection so it isn't so confusing.

On a side note, does anyone know if they plan on replacing all of the fire stations in Baton Rouge? Sure seems like it.

"Progress continues at 150 S. Wooddale Blvd. on the $2.3 million, 8,400-square-foot Wooddale Boulevard Fire Station No. 8. The new station, which broke ground in February, will replace the fire station at 545 Lobdell Ave. The architect for the project is Grace & Hebert Architects, and the general contractor is Stuart and Co."

http://www.businessreport.com/section/businessreport0113

[richyb83]

It was mentioned in the Round-about thread started... i thought that afflicted intersection was an ideal candidate...or some kind of redesign would be nice.

Not sure about all of those fire stations....there are plenty of new fire stations being built across the city.

[Antrell Williams]

A roundabout is needed there. The new construction is pretty much a waste and is still confusing for new drivers and out-of-towners.

Any idea what is to replace the fire station?

[cajun]

They did just re-do that intersection, right?

Seems like they screwed the timing up horribly on those lights.

[all2neat]

I use that intersection daily, it's a cluster at best.

[Antrell Williams]

Yea they just finished construction, and it was a waste.

[richyb83]

The synchronization of traffic lights are a joke all across the city!

The Central Thruway is a long time comin'!

Central residents get update on thruway

Michael Songy, Green Light Plan project manager, said the section of Central Thruway from Florida Boulevard to Greenwell Springs Road should be opened by the first quarter of 2013. The section of the expressway from Greenwell Springs Road to Sullivan Road is expected to be finished by summer 2013.

http://theadvocate.com/home/3923369-125/central-residents-get-update-on

[all2neat]

Wow, that's been a long time coming.

[richyb83]

Not part of the GreenLight program or FuturEBR...But it sure will be a perfect route to the new casino from I-10...hmmm; and unless it makes a dogleg it will go right thru the Gardere West area.

State looks to extend Staring Lane to Nicholson

A plan is in the works to extend Staring Lane from Burbank Drive, where it currently ends, all the way to Nicholson Drive. That's according to city officials who have been meeting with representatives from the state Department of Transportation and Development, and have received a commitment from the state to fully fund the project, expected to cost around $8 million.

As to why the state would want to fund a city-parish road construction project that is neither included in the Green Light Plan or FuturEBR, Guillory believes it would be a relatively simple and inexpensive alternative to the much-pilloried loop around the metro area.

The need for an alternative route was made clear once again in late August, when an overturned tanker truck began leaking hazardous chemicals and forced the shutdown of Interstate 10 for hours, causing gridlock throughout the city.

"Whenever the state can find a way to do these things—move traffic around effectively—they are all for it," Guillory says

http://www.businessreport.com/article/20121018/BUSINESSREPORT0112/121019778/-1/daily-reportAM

[Antrell Williams]

I could name plenty new routes to relive congestion.

Hopefully they demolish the apartments on GSRI in the process.

[cajun]

Hopefully they demolish the apartments on GSRI in the process.

This.

[steve3n8]

Roadwork at O'Neal and South Harrell's Ferry to begin final phase

The fourth and final phase of work on O'Neal Lane and South Harrell's Ferry Road will begin on Saturday, Dec. 15, city-parish officials announced this morning. Once it does, the majority of through traffic and turn-lane restrictions that have been in place on the roadways during earlier and current phases of construction will be lifted. The final phase of the project, which had been slated to begin Saturday but was delayed due to weather, is expected to be complete in three to four months. Work on the intersection at O'Neal and South Harrell's Ferry began on July 16 as part of the Southeast Area Group project in the Green Light Plan. The Southeast Area Group project, which includes three separate projects on the two roadways, commenced in September 2009 and is among the largest infrastructure projects in the history of the city-parish, officials say. You can get complete details and updates on all Green Light Plan projects online here.

Businessreport.com

[richyb83]

In this mornings "Ask the Advocate"....

 

This is the same answer i have given several times here on UP...for many years have hoped for a Stumberg Lane extension to Millerville Road...but too many barriers including Episcopal School take this out of the equation.

 

*QUESTION*

Since Stumberg Lane is being extended south to join Pecue Lane at Airline Highway, is there any plan to extend Stumberg north from Coursey Boulevard to South Harrell’s Ferry or Millerville roads?

 

*ANSWER*

Response from Bryan Harmon, deputy director, East Baton Rouge city-parish Department of Public Works:

An extension northward to South Harrell’s Ferry Road is indicated on the major street plan but, as with dozens of other projects, it is unfunded. The practicality of this project makes it a very expensive undertaking. Extending Stumberg due north as indicated would run the road right through the middle of the Episcopal High School campus which is not practical. This would then require the road to snake to the west and then back east. It would have to cross Weiner Creek once and Jones Creek twice, and we would have to deal with both the environmental issues and the low land levels along this route. One of the crossings of Jones Creek would also occur at the intersection of Woodland Ridge Boulevard. To make this crossing and construct the intersection would require the acquisition of four to six homes before heading north to South Harrell’s Ferry Road.

 

http://theadvocate.com/home/4642606-125/ask-the-advocate-for-dec

[cajun]

Tha was a remarkably detailed response.

[BatonRougeToday]

 

Can't wait for the Central Thruway to be completed since I literally work 1 block west of there on Floriday and live in Central!

[BatonRougeToday]

... that I am ecstatic about the road widening projects currently underway (and completed). Harrells Ferry from Oneal lane to Sherwood Forest is a total pleasure of a drive now. I still think that Oneal should have taken priority over Millerville years ago since it is a much larger corridor and feeds downtown from the interstate. Nonetheless, once its done between the interstate and Harrells Ferry you'll hear me breathe a huge sigh of relief. Until then, Harrells Ferry to Millerville works just fine during the rush hours!

 

Next up is 2 more phases of Old Hammond starting with Oneal to Millerville then Flannery to Blvd De Province. That will leave only one short section of Old Hammond Hwy with 2 lanes, which is from Oneal to Florida. That will make for a very nice alternative to I-12 and Florida Blvd for our friends to the east. 

 

These are all 'Long time comin' projects for this area! 

[richyb83]

Yes indeed!  The new stretch of South Harrell's Ferry Rd is very nice! Wish they could extend it(with new bridge over Amite River) into Livingston Parish to Hwy 16 at Juban Road

 

 Can't wait to see the new Central Thruway completed.... tying it into O'Neal Lane will be a nice north-south artery in the eastern most part of EBR!

 

Being the major east-west route between/parallel to I-12 & Florida Blvd(Hwy 190)......Old Hammond Hwy next phases should have had first priority...however being a state hwy(426)...caused city-parish officials wrestle back-n-forth with the state...making this painfully slow.

 

All of the new improvements have been a breath of fresh air!

[richyb83]

So much of the Central Thruway is bridge work...it sure will be nice when finally completed...a vital north-south route on the eastern periphery of EBR...the Central-Shenandoah connector too

 

Project to link Central; I-12....Quicker access expected to be ready by early fall

 

By the end of the summer or early fall, a new four-lane road from Interstate 12 to the heart of Central will be opened for quicker access to East Baton Rouge Parish’s newest city.

 

The Central Thruway is part of the city-parish’s Green Light Plan, which is funded from the proceeds of a 0.5 percent sales and use tax passed parishwide in 2005. Work on the Central Thruway project started in April 2008, said John Snow, spokesman for the Green Light Plan.

 

Although the four-lane divided thruway will be only 4.1 miles, it includes seven bridges along its length — thus the $61.5 million price tag, Snow said.

“They’re on the last phase right now,” said David Barrow, chief administrative officer with Central. “The thruway is completely finished from Florida to Greenwell Springs Road.”

 

The last phase is the widening of the intersection at Greenwell Springs Road and the Central Thruway construction, which has already begun. Since March 8, traffic on Greenwell Springs Road has been diverted onto a new detour bridge over Beaver Bayou while work on the intersection widening takes place, he said.

The entire thruway, when opened later this year, will connect O’Neal Lane with Greenwell Springs Road. “It’s going to open Central up to the interstate,” Barrow said.

 

The thruway will have limited access and exit points because of the relatively low ground the thruway covers,  “So much of the Central Thruway is actual bridge work,” he said.

 

In addition, there will be only two signal lights along the road, one at Choctaw Drive and one at Frenchtown Road

 

#Rest of Article

http://theadvocate.com/home/5411025-125/project-to-link-central-to

[richyb83]

In yesterday's "Ask the Advocate"...doesn't look like anytime soon

 

What is the status of the I-10 Interchange at Pecue Lane?

 

Response from John Snow, spokesman for the Green Light Plan in East Baton Rouge Parish:

 

“The Pecue Lane at Interstate 10 Interchange project is in the early design stages of the Environmental Assessment (EA) process. As the project will utilize federal funding, it is required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), of which the EA process is a federally mandated component. This process requires the analysis of various design options for the proposed interchange with respect to the overall environmental impact of each option. One of the next steps in this process is for the design engineering team to analyze these design options and determine which options perform better than others in accordance with the environmental impact analyses as well as cost estimates, traffic modeling, and public comments from previous public meetings to narrow the list of conceptual design alternatives down to a select few, thereby eliminating the poor performing options. Once this has taken place, a public hearing will be scheduled to present these final options to the public for comment, at which point comments will then be addressed, a preferred alternative will be identified, and a “Finding of No Significant Impact” will be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for approval and environmental closure. Upon receiving this approval from the FHWA, the project will then proceed into preliminary design, final design, right-of-way acquisition, and utility relocations prior to the start of construction. Due to the anticipated cost of construction, we are also actively pursuing additional funding opportunities at the state and federal levels while the project continues to proceed through the EA process in order to help supplement funding levels currently allocated to support all of these activities in addition to some construction-related items.

 

http://theadvocate.com/home/5883380-125/ask-the-advocate-pecue-lane

[richyb83]

The Perkins/Picardy connector finally back in the news....However looks like construction starting is still far off

 

Connector road to mall seen easing Bluebonnet congestion

 

 Motorists wanting to get to the Mall of Louisiana from Perkins Road could have a new alternative once a proposed connection is built east of Bluebonnet Boulevard.

 

The proposed four-lane, divided road would run from Perkins Road, just east of Perkins Rowe to Mall of Louisiana Boulevard, according to plans published by the city-parish.

 

The project — a part of the city-parish’s Green Light Plan — is expected to cost $25.5 million, said John Snow, a spokesman for the Green Light Plan.

 

The design study phase could take as long as a year, Snow said. He declined to estimate how long it would take the road to be built, noting that it is being constructed as a pay-as-you-go project and would depend partly on the progress of other projects.

 

Ingolf Partenheimer, the city-parish’s traffic engineer, said the road would help lower the traffic load on heavily congested Bluebonnet. “Bluebonnet is over capacity and really needs to be six lanes,” he said.  A connection between Perkins Road and the Mall could have a big impact on the traffic flow by allowing people headed to the mall from Perkins to stay off of Bluebonnet.

 

The proposed connector road would cross Dawson Creek and a railroad track just south of the mall and intersect Mall of Louisiana Boulevard near the power substation there, Snow said.

 

Bryan Harmon, of the Department of Public Works, said the crossings make the project a complicated one. At this early phase, he said, officials and engineers on the project are soliciting public input on the proposed route.

 

Tony Stephens, general manager of Perkins Rowe, said he welcomed the opportunity to hear about the project. “My sense is that it will open up traffic on the east side of the property,” Stephens said. “I don’t know about any concerns until I hear the presentation.” One question Stephens mentioned is where traffic lights will be placed. Currently, there are lights at the intersection of Bluebonnet and Perkins and another at Perkins and Grand Avenue, which is part of Perkins Rowe.

 

Greg Mancina, president of the Wimbledon Estates Civic Association, said the residents generally support the idea of a connector. “It looks like a good concept,” he said. But, Mancina added, he has concerns about the speed limit on the connector road. “It’s going to be a drag way and that will make it dangerous for people coming out of Wimbledon,” he said. Mancina sent a list of requests to Councilman Ryan Heck’s office. The requests included a privacy wall between the road and the subdivision from Perkins Road to Dawson Creek and vegetation between the barrier and the houses in Wimbledon. Mancina also asked the city-parish to build access to the connector road from Backcourt Drive, which is adjacent to The Dunham School, and other items.

 

Bobby Welch, president of The Dunham School, said the school would welcome the road. “We believe it would be a great benefit to the school,” Welch said. The main benefit would be a way into and out of the school without going through Wimbledon Estates, Welch said.

 

Diane Handly, who lives in Wimbledon Estates, said her biggest concern is to keep the neighborhood walkable. “Wimbledon Estates is very walker-friendly,” she said. “This seems like it’s going to stop that.” But, she said, having access to the interstate without having to use Bluebonnet would be welcome.

 

City-parish officials were also consulting with BREC about how to intersect with a planned walking and biking path along Dawson Creek.

 

http://theadvocate.com/home/6163206-125/connector-road-to-mall-seen