Baton Rouge Transportation

[richyb83]

That's some Out-the-box thinking there....I 'll take some of what they are smoking! LOL  Portland is infamous for that!   Is Austin's pic just a rendering or they have those now too?

Greg225...You  Copy/Pasted entire article that also talks about the Detox /Mental Health Center too..... Will those Urban Gondolas be part of that connection? Just kiddin

[Mr. Burnham]

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard...why don't we make a bus system...maybe lightrail?

[greg225]

 

17 hours ago, richyb83 said:

That's some Out-the-box thinking there....I 'll take some of what they are smoking! LOL  Portland is infamous for that!   Is Austin's pic just a rendering or they have those now too?

Greg225...You  Copy/Pasted entire article that also talks about the Detox /Mental Health Center too..... Will those Urban Gondolas be part of that connection? Just kiddin

Maybe we need more out of the box thinking to get things done. I just posted the whole article the Nicholson street was in the article as well.  They city is Round Rock, TX

Edited December 10, 2015 by greg225

[greg225]

11 hours ago, Antrell Williams said:

But we can't build a competent bus system..

CATS can't build a competent bus system, but this will have nothing to do with CATS just like the streetcar won't.

[greg225]

10 hours ago, mr. bernham said:

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard...why don't we make a bus system...maybe lightrail?

I don't think it's dumb if it would be placed on Airline going into Ascension and Florida Blvd into Livingston this could work. Other form of transit and sidewalks would have to be put in place. Other cities don't think its dumb New York have a plan for same thing to connect Brooklyn and Queens. We have a bus system already that sucks maybe urban gondolas happens, or maybe even a monorail.

Edited December 10, 2015 by greg225

[ehyfield]

I think gondolas should be used for crossing terrain that can not be easily crossed by foot or automobile like bodies of water and drastic hills/mountains. We only have one of those here.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[greg225]

1 hour ago, ehyfield said:

I think gondolas should be used for crossing terrain that can not be easily crossed by foot or automobile like bodies of water and drastic hills/mountains. We only have one of those here.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I disagree the one they are talking about for Baton Rouge is for urban use that's why its called a urban gondolas. 

[dan326]

Definitely an interesting idea. I'm wondering where these would lead too and from.

[Antrell Williams]

12 hours ago, greg225 said:

CATS can't build a competent bus system, but this will have nothing to do with CATS just like the streetcar won't.

CATS is expected to run on pennies and build a world class bus system?

The bus station is small and embarrassing, some bus stops even in the city are merely poles in the sidewalk, can't even afford to purchase new buses so the current ones break down daily, etc. CATS is a public entity, they are our responsibility and despite their corruption and load of other managerial issues, we, as the metro area of Baton Rouge cannot build a competent bus system. We have got to be the largest city with the weakest public transit in the country. 

...but they want to explore urban gondolas for Pete's sake.

[greg225]

46 minutes ago, Antrell Williams said:

CATS is expected to run on pennies and build a world class bus system?

The bus station is small and embarrassing, some bus stops even in the city are merely poles in the sidewalk, can't even afford to purchase new buses so the current ones break down daily, etc. CATS is a public entity, they are our responsibility and despite their corruption and load of other managerial issues, we, as the metro area of Baton Rouge cannot build a competent bus system. We have got to be the largest city with the weakest public transit in the country. 

...but they want to explore urban gondolas for Pete's sake.

CATS tax bring in more then pennies 20 + million a year is coming from the Baker and Baton Rouge City limits. That's not even including the grants every year, this year they received a grant for 20 new bus benches. If they wasn't stealing they would still have some Katrina money from what the feds gave them for bus trips from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. They system need to be rebuild from the ground up I would firing everybody. They don't even act like transit system they don't come up with ideas to make transit better in Baton Rouge other people do.

Edited December 11, 2015 by greg225

[Antrell Williams]

I believe I posted the budget of CATS versus other similarly sized cities. You can see the difference is astounding.

Every government agency or program here suffers from some sort of corruption but you still can't expect anything from CATS on their budget. 

[greg225]

On 12/13/2015 at 2:43 PM, Antrell Williams said:

I believe I posted the budget of CATS versus other similarly sized cities. You can see the difference is astounding.

Every government agency or program here suffers from some sort of corruption but you still can't expect anything from CATS on their budget. 

Even if CATS had a 100 million dollar budgets they would still be in the same position. Because they have no vision beyond just being a bus system, and more money means they will continue to over pay their CEO.    

 

 

Edited December 15, 2015 by greg225

[greg225]

Baton Rouge officials racing to get funding in place to start construction of Pecue Lane and Interstate 10 interchange by spring 2017    

Baton Rouge traffic engineers are hurtling forward with plans to build a Pecue Lane and Interstate 10 interchange, which must start construction by spring 2017 or else the report on which the project hinges will expire.

Green Light Plan Program Manager Jonathan Charbonnet told a meeting of mostly local officials Tuesday that making up for a $36 million funding shortfall to build the interchange is the most difficult challenge ahead. They have about a year-and-a-half to find the extra dollars to build the interchange.

Everything else is moving quickly. The Federal Highway Administration is expected to authorize Charbonnet this week to hold a final public hearing on the interchange. From there, it’s mostly a matter of receiving the appropriate permits and more federal clearances to start construction by the deadline.

The preferred design for the interchange is a diverging diamond, which would be the first of its kind in Louisiana but is common in many other states. When driving a diverging diamond, traffic briefly moves to the opposite side of the roadway and drivers can take free left turns because they do not cross opposing traffic.

“If you’re getting off the Interstate and you want to go north or south, it’s a continuous flow,” Charbonnet said. “There’s no light there.”

Mobile users see an example of the interchange here.

 

 

Charbonnet said engineers chose the diverging diamond design because it was one of the least expensive and least invasive options for people who live and work nearby. He said they expect only three properties will need to be relocated.

The total expense of building the interchange, which could be more than $55 million, needs to be funded by May 1 of 2017. The project already has more than $20 million set aside, which is a combination of local, state and federal money along with general obligation bonds.

Charbonnet said they hope to receive the additional $36 million from money in the state’s Capital Outlay budget or from the Department and Transportation and Development’s road transfer program. State Representative Steve Carter, R-Baton Rouge, was in attendance and said Green Light plan representatives need to make sure people in state government know the importance of funding the project.

“We’ve got a lot of projects that need to be funded, but we don’t have that many dollars,” Carter said. “It’s very critical for this group to get this as a high priority.”

State Representative Darrell Ourso, R-Baton Rouge, agreed. Ourso hosted the meeting and said local representatives “need to deliver the message that we want this project to happen.”

Shawn Wilson, the chief of staff for DOTD, said he cannot guarantee how much money DOTD will be able to make available for the project. Still, he said the interchange should be a priority because of its ability to reduce congestion on arterial roads.

“The fact that this has a hard deadline gives it a sense or urgency,” Wilson said. “We’re very sensitive of not wanting to go back into the studying phase of a project. We would hate to spend money that we could have reserved for construction to go to a study.”

Representatives from Congressmen Garret Graves and Senator Bill Cassidy’s offices also attended the meeting, and said the congressmen backed the project. But Graves’ chief of staff Paul Sawyer said Congress is no longer able to delegate federal money for such road projects the way that it formerly could.

Once the project is funded and construction begins, it is expected to take around two years for the changes to be complete. If everything stays on schedule, the Pecue/I-10 interchange should be completed around Christmas of 2019.

The planning for the interchange project should make a lot of progress during the first few months of 2016. After the Federal Highway Commission greenlights the interchange plans, Charbonnet said he hopes to hold a public hearing on the chosen design in late January.  http://theadvocate.com/news/14260441-123/baton-rouge-officials-racing-to-get-funding-in-place-to-start-construction-of-pecue-lane-and-interst

[Mr. Burnham]

5 hours ago, greg225 said:

Baton Rouge officials racing to get funding in place to start construction of Pecue Lane and Interstate 10 interchange by spring 2017    

Baton Rouge traffic engineers are hurtling forward with plans to build a Pecue Lane and Interstate 10 interchange, which must start construction by spring 2017 or else the report on which the project hinges will expire.

Green Light Plan Program Manager Jonathan Charbonnet told a meeting of mostly local officials Tuesday that making up for a $36 million funding shortfall to build the interchange is the most difficult challenge ahead. They have about a year-and-a-half to find the extra dollars to build the interchange.

Everything else is moving quickly. The Federal Highway Administration is expected to authorize Charbonnet this week to hold a final public hearing on the interchange. From there, it’s mostly a matter of receiving the appropriate permits and more federal clearances to start construction by the deadline.

The preferred design for the interchange is a diverging diamond, which would be the first of its kind in Louisiana but is common in many other states. When driving a diverging diamond, traffic briefly moves to the opposite side of the roadway and drivers can take free left turns because they do not cross opposing traffic.

“If you’re getting off the Interstate and you want to go north or south, it’s a continuous flow,” Charbonnet said. “There’s no light there.”

Mobile users see an example of the interchange here.

 

 

Charbonnet said engineers chose the diverging diamond design because it was one of the least expensive and least invasive options for people who live and work nearby. He said they expect only three properties will need to be relocated.

The total expense of building the interchange, which could be more than $55 million, needs to be funded by May 1 of 2017. The project already has more than $20 million set aside, which is a combination of local, state and federal money along with general obligation bonds.

Charbonnet said they hope to receive the additional $36 million from money in the state’s Capital Outlay budget or from the Department and Transportation and Development’s road transfer program. State Representative Steve Carter, R-Baton Rouge, was in attendance and said Green Light plan representatives need to make sure people in state government know the importance of funding the project.

“We’ve got a lot of projects that need to be funded, but we don’t have that many dollars,” Carter said. “It’s very critical for this group to get this as a high priority.”

State Representative Darrell Ourso, R-Baton Rouge, agreed. Ourso hosted the meeting and said local representatives “need to deliver the message that we want this project to happen.”

Shawn Wilson, the chief of staff for DOTD, said he cannot guarantee how much money DOTD will be able to make available for the project. Still, he said the interchange should be a priority because of its ability to reduce congestion on arterial roads.

“The fact that this has a hard deadline gives it a sense or urgency,” Wilson said. “We’re very sensitive of not wanting to go back into the studying phase of a project. We would hate to spend money that we could have reserved for construction to go to a study.”

Representatives from Congressmen Garret Graves and Senator Bill Cassidy’s offices also attended the meeting, and said the congressmen backed the project. But Graves’ chief of staff Paul Sawyer said Congress is no longer able to delegate federal money for such road projects the way that it formerly could.

Once the project is funded and construction begins, it is expected to take around two years for the changes to be complete. If everything stays on schedule, the Pecue/I-10 interchange should be completed around Christmas of 2019.

The planning for the interchange project should make a lot of progress during the first few months of 2016. After the Federal Highway Commission greenlights the interchange plans, Charbonnet said he hopes to hold a public hearing on the chosen design in late January.  http://theadvocate.com/news/14260441-123/baton-rouge-officials-racing-to-get-funding-in-place-to-start-construction-of-pecue-lane-and-interst

They use this in Tampa...I miss them.

[Antrell Williams]

5 hours ago, greg225 said:

Even if CATS had a 100 million dollar budgets they would still be in the same position. Because they have no vision beyond just being a bus system, and more money means they will continue to over pay their CEO.    

 

 

They also have no money to create that vision. 

They certainly have corruption, but the entire state and local government does as well.

[greg225]

14 hours ago, mr. bernham said:

They use this in Tampa...I miss them.

Hopefully they get the money so they can start development soon.

[Antrell Williams]

I really like that design alot. Perkins Rd will need to be widened eventually.

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting video Greg225....interesting design...never seen that before...will take your word Mr Berham about the positives in Tampa...

Going to get plenty of traffic with new Woman's Hospital/Long Farm TND with it now connecting into Stumberg Lane to the north & the new Performance Contractors expanded Campus at Perkins/Pecue(reconfigured to true intersection opening up 4 acres of land)

Hey, hey...WAIT A MINUTE!!!!  This is where the Inner Loop is supposed to meet up with I-10....Not!

[greg225]

New DOTD chief: Finding I-10 solutions top priority                                   

Finding solutions for daily traffic tie-ups on Interstate 10 near the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge will be one of the top priorities when Gov. Elect John Bel Edwards takes office next week, incoming transportation chief Shawn Wilson said Monday.

 

“You have to do something on the I-10 corridor,” Wilson told the Press Club of Baton Rouge. “That corridor is an international corridor.”

The Department of Transportation and Development is studying, and held public hearings last year, on a proposal to add a new lane in each direction between the bridge and the I-10/12 split.

However, it would cost an estimated $350 million and the state is facing huge budget problems.

Wilson made his comments on the same day that a 27-member transportation transition committee spelled out a wide range of options for raising money for roads and bridges without endorsing any. 

The review said that, while tax or fee hikes are “not attractive,” they may be the sole way to address state transportation needs.

Option include boosting Louisiana’s gasoline tax, higher sales taxes and tolls.

The committee said when new fees or taxes are raised for specific state problems, voters often assume the problem has been solved.

“To combat this, a concerted effort should be made by the governor and senior level state officials to educate the public to ensure that there is a clear understanding of where transportation dollars are coming from and where and on what those dollars will be spent,” according to the 19-page report.

How long any such education effort would take is unclear.

Wilson initially listed work on the I-10 corridor in Baton Rouge as one of the administration’s top four highway priorities.

Later he indicated the four-mile stretch tops the list.

Other priorities include improving the interchange on I-10 at Loyola Avenue in connection with the expansion of New Orleans International Airport.

Wilson said one advantage widening I-10 would have over construction of new bridge across the Mississippi River or a loop around Baton Rouge is that it could be done quicker.

“All of these projects can’t be done in the same timeframe of widening I-10 between the bridge and the split,” he said.

He said that, when dollars becomes available, segments of the work could be done that provide immediate relief for motorists.

Wilson, a 10-year veteran of DOTD, officially becomes secretary for DOTD next week. He succeeds Sherri LeBas, who has held the job for nearly six years.

Edwards will become governor on Monday.

Wilson becomes DOTD secretary at a time of huge road and bridge demands, and major state budget problems that make quick solutions unlikely.

The state faces a $12.7 billion backlog of transportation needs — down from about $14 billion a few years ago — and the inability of state leaders to agree on any solutions.

The report said the state would need to let $1 billion in construction projects yearly -- up from $600 million now -- and even that would not erase the backlog in four years. http://theadvocate.com/news/14472041-70/new-dotd-chief-finding-i-10-solutions-top-priority

[greg225]

Mayor Kip Holden touts he spoke with U.S. Transportation Secretary about same interstate issue he told Obama about             

Mayor President Kip Holden isn’t done reminding people about his conversation with President Barack Obama about Baton Rouge traffic.

Holden, who is in Washington D.C. for the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors, issued a press release on Friday afternoon about another executive-level conversation he had about Baton Rouge infrastructure — this time with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

The press release states that Holden met “privately” with Foxx to discuss “traffic initiatives for the Capital Region, including the widening of (interstate) 1-10 which he spoke with President Obama about during his recent visit to Baton Rouge.”

“We talked again about the congestion created by the interstate narrowing to one lane as traffic comes across the Mississippi River Bridge,” Holden said in the press release. “And the Secretary assured me he is looking into ways to help us particularly solve this problem.”

He said they also discussed other grant opportunities related to traffic projects, such as “a new Mississippi River Bridge crossing, gap funding for the Pecue Lane Interchange at I-10 and the Baton Rouge Streetcar project” which would run between downtown and LSU on Nicholson Drive.

Earlier this month, when Obama visited Baton Rouge, he rode from the airport with both newly elected Gov. John Bel Edwards and Holden.

After the visit, Edwards told a room of hundreds of business people at the annual Louisiana Association of Business and Industry luncheon, that he put a bug in the president’s ear about the bottlenecking on Interstate 10.

“He didn’t know that before, and had I not taken advantage of the opportunity, he wouldn’t have known it today,” Edwards said of the conversation.

Holden then approached media to inform them it was he who actually told Obama about the interstate problems and he didn’t know why Edwards took credit.

Holden said Obama backed his version when, during his visit to McKinley High School, he credited him with calling his attention to the issue.

Obama said, “I know that your mayor was talking about how the interstate here narrows, and we may need to do something about it to relieve some traffic.”

Both Edwards and Holden, who leaves office at the end of this year, are Democrats. Edwards has said he stands by his comments.

Edwards could have an opportunity to talk to Foxx about similar topics. He was scheduled to meet with Fox at 3 p.m. Friday to talk transportation issues, according to the public schedule the governor’s office provided for Edwards’ trip to Washington this week.        http://blogs.theadvocate.com/cityhallbuzz/2016/01/22/mayor-kip-holden-touts-he-spoke-with-u-s-transportation-secretary-about-same-interstate-issue-he-told-obama-about/

[all2neat]

Until something happens, I will file this in the "more talk" file.

[richyb83]

A MESSAGE FROM THE DDD Tram Link BR   3-Mile long tram system The Office of the Mayor-President and the EBR Transportation and Drainage Department will hold an informational meeting (Thursday, January 28th @ the Baton Rouge River Center) on the modern streetcar or 'tram' proposed to connect Downtown, Old South Baton Rouge and LSU. At the meeting, you will see displays about route options, stop locations, maintenance facility sites, transit operations and other project elements. The public is welcome to review project displays and talk with staff in an open house format between 5:00 - 7:30pm. Mayor Kip Holden and the Project Team will give a brief presentation at 6:00pm. tramlinkbr >> Route Options >>

Edited January 26, 2016 by richyb83

[greg225]

Tram plan to connect downtown Baton Rouge with LSU unveiled at public meeting    

 

 

It’s not a streetcar, and it’s not a trolley.

 

Setting itself apart from the well-known tourist fixtures of New Orleans and San Francisco, the proposed Baton Rouge fixed-line rail traversing Nicholson Drive is being envisioned as a sleek, modern tram connecting riders from downtown Baton Rouge to LSU.

On Thursday, city-parish officials and consultants held their first public meeting to introduce future riders and affected home and business owners to some of the details of one of outgoing Mayor-President Kip Holden’s priority transit project for the parish. It’s the first look so far at potential routes and stops. However, other details, such as the total cost of the project and how it will be funded, remain murky.

The city-parish’s hired consultant for the project HNTB unveiled three alternative routes that could be implemented, all beginning at Skip Bertman Drive at LSU and ending at the State Capitol Park downtown. The project envisions about 12 stops along the way. Downtown the stops would be about two to three blocks apart, and along Nicholson Drive they would be spaced between a quarter to half a mile a part.

The total trip time to get from the first stop at LSU to the last stop downtown would be about 20 to 25 minutes stretching across about 3 miles.

Planners currently estimate wait times at stops of about 15 to 20 minutes that would run seven days a week. That level of service would require five cars, holding between 100 and 150 passengers each. But if the city-parish ultimately wanted shorter wait times, more vehicles could be required.

The proposed cost of a ticket would be between $1 to $3, which could be used for a round trip, or for a certain number of hours.

Much could change, as the project, which is in its infancy, moves forward.

An environmental study, required for federal grant money, will stretch from this month until August.

Ashley Booth, HNTB project manager, said it’s possible the project could cost more than $100 million.

For example, the Tuscon, Arizona tram that was finished in 2014 is 7 miles of track built at a cost of about $197 million, according to reports presented at Thursday’s public meeting. . The project, which consultants say is one of the best regional comparisons for Baton Rouge, received federal grants that Baton Rouge will also compete for. But Tuscon locals still had to cover 38 percent of the costs.

As the planning continues, funding sources will be identified.

Booth said in other cities, tax increment financing districts have been popular, which would collect taxes from surrounding businesses to pay down the costs of the infrastructure. It’s possible, but less likely, that the city-parish could use a public private partnership, where a company provides some of the infrastructure and recoups its profits from ridership fees. However, Booth said, that arrangement is more popular for bigger cities.

Booth said its a misconception that trams, and fixed use community rails, are mostly used by tourists. He said a recent poll in Portland, Oregon, which has had a rail since 2001, found that only 20 percent of the riders were tourists. Portland’s tram has between 15,000 to 20,000 riders per day.

In Baton Rouge, a study found there are 10,500 residents, 33,000 employees and 30,000 LSU students within a quarter mile of the proposed line.

Nationwide, Booth said, the fixed route services are seeing a resurgence in urban communities that are finding ways to better connect to their downtowns. Twelve cities that have such transit systems in operation and at least 30 more cities that are studying or actively working on developing a system.

Where they’ve been built, cities have seen significant corresponding private investment, spurring economic development in the areas.

[richyb83]

It would really be cool if BR gets the Light-rail...instead of the trolley/street car...Might Option #1 be the Best? (only route that adds a River Road loop) ...Good to see they are still Bullish on the River District(btwn Downtown/Water Campus/LSU)...As shown by the Renderings(like shown below) & Map routes at the meetings

[dan326]

Neat, I hope they can find a way so that the train doesn't have to share too much road space with cars.