Baton Rouge Transportation

[dan326]

That's what I thought.

[richyb83]

On 8/4/2017 at 1:43 PM, cajun said:

Doesn't the parish own the strip behind the houses between those two developments?  

Maybe so??...that would be one narrow strip...not enough room for tree-lined boulevard. Will be interesting to watch play out...though painfully slow process. Can't find the proposal that had Midway Boulevard only going north of R.R. tracks....from Picardy Ave to I-10 near the new Children's Hosp.

[richyb83]

If the entire Water Campus does come to fruition....& the River District that was supposedly in the works were to be completed to it's original scale...would say "YES" to the 3.4 mile Tram connecting LSU to Downtown/State Capitol...but until then...there are plenty of other infrastructure needs more pressing.

Tram decision draws mixed reaction from Baton Rouge officials, community leaders

https://www.businessreport.com/article/tram-decision-draws-mixed-reaction-baton-rouge-officials-community-leaders

 

[Mr. Burnham]

5 hours ago, richyb83 said:

If the entire Water Campus does come to fruition....& the River District that was supposedly in the works were to be completed to it's original scale...would say "YES" to the 3.4 mile Tram connecting LSU to Downtown/State Capitol...but until then...there are plenty of other infrastructure needs more pressing.

Tram decision draws mixed reaction from Baton Rouge officials, community leaders

https://www.businessreport.com/article/tram-decision-draws-mixed-reaction-baton-rouge-officials-community-leaders

 

While I would love to see that kind of public transportation in Baton Rouge, at this point in time it would be a waste of money. In order for public transportation to make money, public transportation has to make sense. At this point in time a tram line doesn't make sense. They should wait another five years for the Water Campus to grow out and the Nicholson Gateway project to complete. 

[richyb83]

LOL Yep Mr. Bernham..we said about the same thing!     Thanks for the feedback 

Well....Kip Holden makes some sense here too...get the Federal $$$ for  Tram now while you can...it may not be there for next year...Wow! Torn but agreeing with him now...BR seems to get stuck in the mud at almost every turn! New Administration feeling the heat from NBR &  SE BR residents about this project as article says??

Holden: Broome’s decision on tram funding ‘is a mistake’

Former Mayor Kip Holden is blasting his successor, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, for her recent decision to defer for at least another year a request for $67.5 million in federal funding for a proposed 3.4-mile tram along Nicholson Drive.

Now, with Broome’s decision to wait another year, the earliest the city-parish could apply is in September 2018, which would mean the project, if approved, would not be included in the federal budget until 2020.

Holden says it’s disappointing to see a potentially transformative project that took so much time and so many resources fall by the wayside.

“To stop the progress that so many citizens worked for years to bring to fruition is a mistake,” he says. “For South Baton Rouge, Nicholson, LSU and downtown this was a cornerstone project. When you have your flagship university, how can you think about letting something like get away?”

https://www.businessreport.com/article/holden-criticizes-broomes-decision-tram-funding-application

[Mr. Burnham]

3 hours ago, richyb83 said:

LOL Yep Mr. Bernham..we said about the same thing!     Thanks for the feedback 

Well....Kip Holden makes some sense here too...get the Federal $$$ for  Tram now while you can...it may not be there for next year...Wow! Torn but agreeing with him now...BR seems to get stuck in the mud at almost every turn! New Administration feeling the heat from NBR &  SE BR residents about this project as article says??

Holden: Broome’s decision on tram funding ‘is a mistake’

Former Mayor Kip Holden is blasting his successor, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, for her recent decision to defer for at least another year a request for $67.5 million in federal funding for a proposed 3.4-mile tram along Nicholson Drive.

Now, with Broome’s decision to wait another year, the earliest the city-parish could apply is in September 2018, which would mean the project, if approved, would not be included in the federal budget until 2020.

Holden says it’s disappointing to see a potentially transformative project that took so much time and so many resources fall by the wayside.

“To stop the progress that so many citizens worked for years to bring to fruition is a mistake,” he says. “For South Baton Rouge, Nicholson, LSU and downtown this was a cornerstone project. When you have your flagship university, how can you think about letting something like get away?”

https://www.businessreport.com/article/holden-criticizes-broomes-decision-tram-funding-application

Something tells me he's planning on running again...hmmm....

[dan326]

If we had to pay for this with all our own money I'd say it's not a priority. Now that I see we could possibly get federal money for it I'm more inclined to give it a shot.

[Antrell Williams]

It's fine as long as they can figure out how to build a competent transit system with new buses and a real bus station. If not, it'll be a huge waste outside of 8 Saturdays a year.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[Mr. Burnham]

11 hours ago, Antrell Williams said:

It's fine as long as they can figure out how to build a competent transit system with new buses and a real bus station. If not, it'll be a huge waste outside of 8 Saturdays a year.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
 

This is a map I made a while back. It needs more stops in North BR, but I don't know NBR well enough to know where good stops for the buses would be. Basically. the map is what I think a good bus route system for the city could look like. 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=18QOvp1Eop3z27gCgLFnjuNPGHPU&usp=sharing

I'll also add a Louisiana passenger rail system proposal map I made some time ago. It's pretty self-explanatory:

Edited August 24, 2017 by mr. bernham

[cajun]

On 8/23/2017 at 2:18 PM, Antrell Williams said:

It's fine as long as they can figure out how to build a competent transit system with new buses and a real bus station. If not, it'll be a huge waste outside of 8 Saturdays a year.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
 

The first leg of the transit system is always the most expensive.   Those 8 Saturdays a year will help justify the initial leg. 

I think it's foolish to not try to obtain federal funding, especially at a time when everyone is expecting a major infrastructure plan to be unveiled soon.

[richyb83]

Wasn't sure where to put this...

A MESSAGE FROM THE DDD

Public meeting KCS Railroad Crossings closures & Repairs The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is conducting an open house public meeting Monday November 6th at the Carver Branch Library, 720 Terrace Ave., for the proposed maintenance and rehabilitation of ten (10) railroad crossings and proposed permanent closure of six (6) railroad crossings along the Kansas City Southern (KCS) railroad in the city of Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish. Ten(10) of the fifteen (15) crossings border the eastern boundary of the Downtown Development District. Maintenance and Rehabilitation: North St., Main St., Laurel St., Florida Blvd., Convention St., Government St., Wisteria St., Myrtle Walk St., Terrace Ave., and Louise St. crossings. Proposed Permanent Closures: Gayosa St., South Blvd., Julia St., Smith St., Orange St., and Apple St. crossings. The crossings that are proposed to be closed will be complete closures. The sidewalks at these crossings would be removed; however, pedestrian crossings would be created at several of the other crossings, usually where sidewalks come up to the railroad right-of-way and end. Detours will be required for the maintenance and rehabilitation during the in-roadway crossing work. The detours will be coordinated with the City of Baton Rouge at the time of construction. The purpose of the public meeting is to provide information about the project and to obtain input from interested parties. There will be a continuous multi-media presentation about the project. Additional project information will be available. Representatives from DOTD will be available at the open house to answer questions and discuss issues related to the project. Oral and written comments on the project can be submitted at the meeting. Comments can also be mailed to the DOTD address shown below, postmarked by November 20, 2017. The public meeting has been scheduled as follows: Monday, November 6, 2017 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Carver Branch Library 720 Terrace Ave. Baton Rouge, LA 70802   Click to enlarge image Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Environmental Engineer Administrator, Section 28 225.242.4503 P.O. Box 94245 Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9245

add to Calendar >> Map >>

[dan326]

What's meant by a closure? 

[cajun]

On 11/4/2017 at 10:34 AM, dan326 said:

What's meant by a closure? 

You won't be able to drive or walk across the tracks at those spots anymore.

[dan326]

2 hours ago, cajun said:

You won't be able to drive or walk across the tracks at those spots anymore.

Hmm, I'm not sure about that . Seems like it'd make think more inconvenient, especially at South Blvd.

[richyb83]

They want to make Kansas City Southern line safer in the city.     For the six crossings that would be permanently shuttered, the state would build connecting roads parallel to the railroad to link roads blocked by the rail line.

If the proposal moves forward??

[Antrell Williams]

This will become a problem once gentrification seeps into the neighborhood. Man, I wanted to rebuild the grid in that area and this is 100 steps backwards. 

[richyb83]

Looks like the I-10 Widening from the Miss River Bridge to the 10/12 Split is really going to happen this time!  Almost wanted to start a NEW I-10 Widening thread...but there are some conversations in this  Thread Topic already

Construction is  going to be a mess taking plenty of time...but that's progress

https://www.businessreport.com/article/baton-rouge-10-widening-project-paid-borrowed-federal-dollars

http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_cd6a42d8-f799-11e7-a4a2-2bc570b643c0.html

 

[dan326]

Nice! I have to admit, I'll believe it when I see it.

[cajun]

On 8/21/2016 at 3:10 PM, cajun said:

I decided to nerd out again today. 

Map Key:

Red - New 4 lane divided road with 36' wide landscaped median and separate shared bike/pedestrian lanes.  Up to 50 mph limit.

Yellow - Existing roadway expanded to 4 lane artery with continuous center turn lane (or 24' landscaped median), outside bike lanes (if continuous), and 5' wide sidewalks.  Up to 50 mph limit.

Orange - Existing roadway expanded to 2 lane collector with continuous center turn lane, outside bike lanes, and 5' wide sidewalks. Less than 40 mph limit.

Green - Existing roadway expanded to 4 and/or 6 lane freeway with divider, dual two lane feeder roads (think Texas) and overpasses over all intersections and rail road crossings.  Limited access/Freeway with no private access except onto feeder roads.  Up to 60mph.  No bikes allowed.

Purple -  Existing roadway expanded to 6 lane major artery with 16'-36' wide heavily landscaped median/green space (including native trees), dual left and single right hand turn lanes, timed lights, u-turn lanes, covered/lit bus stops with pickup lanes, restricted private access (shared entries, minimal curb cuts), decorative lighting, decorative pole-mounted traffic signals, back lit signage, and at least 5' wide sidwalks.  Overpasses over rail road crossings.   Up to 50mph...no bikes allowed.

 

This is of course independent from the desperate need to widen I-10 between the foot of the bridge to around a half mile west of LA415.   Port Allen and much of LA1 already has service roads...which to me don't make much sense when there's a stop light or intersection every hundred yards.    I think the current development format would adapt to a freeway with feeder roads very easily.

Not pictured....but I wanted to relocate the railroad tracks along LA 1 to the west side of Addis and Brusly near the Intracoastal canal. 

The LA415 connector (red) will need a high bridge over the canal and an overpass over N Line Road.

West Side

 

I was reading about the Toyota-Mazda plant in Huntsville and how the Memphis area was trying to market a competing site near Jackson, TN.     Those sites are all mostly flat, near but not too close to a population center with over 200,000 people.   The local or state government usually pitch in funds to build a freeway exit and rail spur.    

Do you guys think this area in West Baton Rouge Parish is suitable for a "mega site" industrial park?   This area is relatively safe from flooding, it's far enough north to not have a serious threat from storm surge, and it's far enough south to not face a threat from major tornadoes.    There's a UP rail line and US 190 on the northern side, with I-10 on the southern side.     Could the Baton Rouge area and West Baton Rouge in particular parlay this into an industrial park with thousands of jobs?

Could this sugar cane field eventually be something like this? 

Edited January 16, 2018 by cajun

[cajun]

On 1/15/2018 at 11:37 AM, dan326 said:

Nice! I have to admit, I'll believe it when I see it.

Widening that section of I-10 will be very painful for about 4-5 years.....but it will make a sizable dent in the regional traffic problems.    It's not going to solve everything, but it's a leap in the right direction.    

I'll have much more respect for Edwards if he could get infrastructure like this built.

[Antrell Williams]

The comments on Business Report are refreshing. I have to side with the skeptics. Double down on the issue and don't change your approach with traffic. I-10 widening from the split to Highland Rd pt 2.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

[cajun]

20 hours ago, Antrell Williams said:

The comments on Business Report are refreshing. I have to side with the skeptics. Double down on the issue and don't change your approach with traffic. I-10 widening from the split to Highland Rd pt 2.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 

I typically  would prefer a series of routes over one superhighway.    In most cases, if a three lane road with a center turn lane isn't adequate, I suspect that there is not enough system redundancy and interconnection.    I'm pretty frustrated that they aren't investing more in secondary arteries in Baton Rouge or trying to get the street car up and running - and even more frustrated that CATS doesn't even seem to take CATS seriously.   

Outside of north Baton Rouge and mid city, the street grid in Baton Rouge isn't very good.   Some of that can be blamed on the terrain, but the planning mistakes made 50-60 years ago are a huge factor.    There is a lot of reliance on the handful of continuous routes that do exist, and we simply are not focusing on them enough.    Some of them are actually decent alternatives to freeways in the region, but we are still ignoring them and wonder why sprawl seems to be concentrated farther and farther down I-10 and I-12.   

That being said, most urban planning experts would also agree that capacity enhancements are one of the few acceptable reasons to add lanes.   Widening I-10 in Baton Rouge isn't going to solve all of the city's traffic issues, but it is a giant leap in the right direction.     33% more cars and trucks will be able to move into and out of that part of the city.     That number will grow even more as autonomous cars start taking to the roads (and we could, in theory, drive much closer together safely).  They are also trying to get federal funding to beef up the sound deadening and noise mitigation as well as the lighting, which will make the route much safer. - or at least as safe as you can possibly make a freeway with a sharp bend right as you descend a bridge.    

It was getting to the point where local and regional freight movement was being hindered.     Something has to be done about it.    They may as well attempt to make it more efficient and higher capacity.   I'd even go as far as saying that I-10 should also be widened west of the Mississippi River towards Lafayette if an alternative routes can't be built over the swamp.

Edited January 17, 2018 by cajun

[cajun]

21 hours ago, cajun said:

 

I was reading about the Toyota-Mazda plant in Huntsville and how the Memphis area was trying to market a competing site near Jackson, TN.     Those sites are all mostly flat, near but not too close to a population center with over 200,000 people.   The local or state government usually pitch in funds to build a freeway exit and rail spur.    

Do you guys think this area in West Baton Rouge Parish is suitable for a "mega site" industrial park?   This area is relatively safe from flooding, it's far enough north to not have a serious threat from storm surge, and it's far enough south to not face a threat from major tornadoes.    There's a UP rail line and US 190 on the northern side, with I-10 on the southern side.     Could the Baton Rouge area and West Baton Rouge in particular parlay this into an industrial park with thousands of jobs?

Could this sugar cane field eventually be something like this? 

A few hours after I posted this, Renault–Nissan announced plans to open another assembly plant "somewhere" in North America. to build their new generation of electric vehicles. for American consumption.    Their decision is likely a year or two away, but it would be really cool if they could consider Louisiana.   

[richyb83]

I like your forward thinking Cajun    That would be a excellent location for a Mega-site ; it could tie in to the  new Southern By-pass/or Westbank Expressway!     Even a little closer east of Hwy 415 might work too??    It would seem to be Louisiana's turn to land a Major assembly plant like they have all across the South.... MS; TN; AL;  SC; etc

[richyb83]

Baton Rouge makes the Bottle Neck  Top 25    I-110 / I-10 Junction

http://atri-online.org/research/results/congestion_mobility/2018bottleneck/bn025-2018.pdf

Atlanta was I-285 at I-85 North is  #1

http://atri-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ATRI-Bottleneck-Brochure-2018-01-25-18.pdf