Baton Rouge Growth and Development

[richyb83]

I'm with y'all.  Hoping to see something roughly this size too.

[dan326]

That would definitely be nice and ad some life to downtown.

[cajun]

On 4/3/2023 at 12:14 AM, dan326 said:

Ha, you didn't get me this year... Mainly because I scrolled all the way down on my phone save read up ! I wish though... As I say, BR usually participates in national trends so if/when they have another skyscraper boom we should get another mid-rise.

LOL.   Yeah it's kind of a tradition to post goofy stuff on April fools.

BTW - The national trend unfortunately is a pending commercial real estate crash I think.   Companies are riding out their leases.  Once they are up, they are going to cut back on the amount of office space they are needing.    I hope I'm wrong about this, but I think places like Chicago and New York are going to have a lot of office space that can't be filled.

[dan326]

On 4/17/2023 at 8:44 AM, cajun said:

LOL.   Yeah it's kind of a tradition to post goofy stuff on April fools.

BTW - The national trend unfortunately is a pending commercial real estate crash I think.   Companies are riding out their leases.  Once they are up, they are going to cut back on the amount of office space they are needing.    I hope I'm wrong about this, but I think places like Chicago and New York are going to have a lot of office space that can't be filled.

I can see that happening. Maybe it can be converted into living space... since they claim there's an affordable housing shortage....Well I an actually believe that, I just don't see them building much affordable housing.

[richyb83]

On 4/17/2023 at 8:44 AM, cajun said:

LOL.   Yeah it's kind of a tradition to post goofy stuff on April fools.

BTW - The national trend unfortunately is a pending commercial real estate crash I think.   Companies are riding out their leases.  Once they are up, they are going to cut back on the amount of office space they are needing.    I hope I'm wrong about this, but I think places like Chicago and New York are going to have a lot of office space that can't be filled.

Yeah it's a crash in more ways than one....the Titanic into the ice berg

Here is more on the project......

Realtors pitching rooftop bar and more as building in downtown Baton Rouge hits the market

https://www.wbrz.com/news/realtors-pitching-rooftop-bar-and-more-as-building-in-downtown-baton-rouge-hits-the-market

 

[richyb83]

On 4/3/2023 at 12:14 AM, dan326 said:

Ha, you didn't get me this year... Mainly because I scrolled all the way down on my phone save read up ! I wish though... As I say, BR usually participates in national trends so if/when they have another skyscraper boom we should get another mid-rise.

Yeah it's gets trickier n trickier fooling you over the years to the point i'm just being plain silly now! lol

You and me both! When that boom comes Austin will get another nice 40 + story eye candy skyscraper; Nashville a sleek looking 35 story glass tower; and Baton Rouge an 8 - 10 story mid rise wider than it is tall.

[cajun]

On 4/21/2023 at 7:26 PM, richyb83 said:

Yeah it's a crash in more ways than one....the Titanic into the ice berg

 

I think Louisiana might weather this one better than others.  

We have a predominantly blue collar workforce with an admirable industrial base (places like Memphis or Atlanta wishes they had what we have along the river in south Louisiana).   But Louisiana has never had a robust white collar job market, so we've never had a massive speculative office market here to get overbuilt.   Most of what you see in Louisiana's largest cities are either owner-occupied (meaning it's a mid sized office building fully occupied by the company that owns it) or it's already divided into smaller spaces.    In many cases, the conversion to residential or hotel space has already begun in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.   

For the most part, I think Louisiana will do okay in this upcoming crash outside of whatever economic ripple effects that will be hard to predict.   There is one building I'm worried about though in Lake Charles not having a  future though:

 

Really wish one of the Casino's could have bought the CapOne building in Lake Charles and converted it into a hotel.  Because this one is going to be very difficult to bring back to market, and it will likely require a lot of taxpayer backed financing to make it happen.    

In the 1970s and 1980s, banks built massive office designs in secondary and tertiary market cities like Mobile, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Jackson, and Baton Rouge.    It clearly was a financial ding-dong measuring contest among these banks.     The banks that built them have long since consolidated - either going out of business or reorganizing to have a more flat corporate structure.     Those buildings now are a huge suck on the office market, with massive unleasable square footage that now has to be demolished or converted to some other use.

I'd say that the Capitol One building in Lake Charles is most at risk - but there are others in Shreveport, Beaumont, Mobile, etc.   Baton Rouge and New Orleans seem to be a little farther ahead of the curve on the conversion to residential space.   I'm a little worried about the old Shaw building on Essen mostly because it's massive and in a location where conversion to residential isn't really possible.   

When the office market collapses later this year and into 2024 and lending for office projects tightens nationwide, companies that actually need office space damn well better have their credit lines to build or expand....because it's going to be hard to do that for a few years.   I would not expect a new building in The Water Campus or downtown Baton Rouge to be built exclusively for office use for at least 2026 unless it's for a specific tenant (which means a smaller scale, purpose built structure).   Tenant-owned buildings tend to locate in suburban areas with the exception of law offices although the Water Campus might be able to attract some of those types of firms if they can do some commercial/industrial mixed spaces.     Don't expect credit unions, banks, engineering companies, or tech companies to locate their corporate offices in big downtown towers if they are going to own the building.    

Edited April 24, 2023 by cajun

[cajun]

On 4/21/2023 at 7:45 PM, richyb83 said:

You and me both! When that boom comes Austin will get another nice 40 + story eye candy skyscraper; Nashville a sleek looking 35 story glass tower; and Baton Rouge an 8 - 10 story mid rise wider than it is tall.

Those 40+ story towers (especially those built by tech companies) in Nashville and Austin are absolutely putting their entire office market at risk for a painful collapse.    And that means the hotels nearby that serve the areas are also going to suffer.   So will the bars and restaurants that serve the workers.   There entire 20+ story, gorgeous office buildings in Bellevue and Seattle that are going to be empty very soon as Microsoft and Amazon lets their leases expire.     Baton Rouge had to figure out how to repurpose bank buildings that were built 30-40 years ago.    Austin, Seattle, Bellevue, San Francisco, Nashville, etc. are going to have to do it with buildings that were geared towards tech during that bubble.  

The one benefit of not having a huge white collar job market relative to the population of Louisiana is that Baton Rouge and New Orleans will not feel as much of the pain as this bubble bursts.   We already had to deal with some of it years ago, and we are in a slightly less precarious position today because of it.

Edited April 24, 2023 by cajun

[cajun]

 

Quote

 

https://www.225batonrouge.com/our-city/george-clooney-project-coming-baton-rouge-hints-state-official

Something is coming to Baton Rouge that actor George Clooney is involved with, according to a state official. But what? 

Patrick Mulhearn, senior director of strategic initiatives at Louisiana Economic Development, teased his Rotary Club of Baton Rouge audience with a small morsel of information: They’ll be hearing soon about something Clooney is involved in, and it’s not a movie or a TV show. 

“Watch the news, because this thing is coming,” he said. “We’re all going to be really happy about it.”

 

So I have no idea what this could be if it's not a movie or TV show...

Some ideas:

• Charitable trust for children or hurricane relief - Clooney works very hard with countless charitable organizations
• Investment into a film school or study program in the state
• Restaurant or tourist attraction, although I have no idea why they'd choose Baton Rouge for this
• Clooney's production company (yeah he owns an entire production company) is buying or building studio space in Louisiana to take advantage of film tax credits

We'll see I guess.  Anything his name is attached to is going to draw headlines.   My guess is the first bullet point or something similar, as the actor is close to other colleagues in the film industry that have invested big into Louisiana.  

The only connection that actor has to Louisiana is that his production company was co-founded by Steven Soderbergh, who went to school in Baton Rouge and returned to make a few films here.   Soderbergh became known as one of the elite filmmakers after he made Sex, Lies, and Videotape in Baton Rouge in 1989 when he was only 26 years old.    

Edited April 24, 2023 by cajun

[cajun]

On 4/24/2023 at 8:59 AM, cajun said:

 

So I have no idea what this could be if it's not a movie or TV show...

Some ideas:

• Charitable trust for children or hurricane relief - Clooney works very hard with countless charitable organizations
• Investment into a film school or study program in the state
• Restaurant or tourist attraction, although I have no idea why they'd choose Baton Rouge for this
• Clooney's production company (yeah he owns an entire production company) is buying or building studio space in Louisiana to take advantage of film tax credits

We'll see I guess.  Anything his name is attached to is going to draw headlines.   My guess is the first bullet point or something similar, as the actor is close to other colleagues in the film industry that have invested big into Louisiana.  

The only connection that actor has to Louisiana is that his production company was co-founded by Steven Soderbergh, who went to school in Baton Rouge and returned to make a few films here.   Soderbergh became known as one of the elite filmmakers after he made Sex, Lies, and Videotape in Baton Rouge in 1989 when he was only 26 years old.    

It's a school.  They are building a school in Baton Rouge.

 

Some other news:   Magnolia Woods in-fill development is going up around Highland at Staring.   Looks like higher end housing on smaller lots with office/restaurant space facing Highland

Edited May 3, 2023 by cajun

[cajun]

Benny's is adding a C-store and gas station to their new Lee Drive location across from the Rouses.   Noticing that they are using a some porous concrete in a few spots.   The nearby McDonalds did the same thing.   It's a clever idea, but it does require being vacuumed out every few years and it doesn't take well to painting lines for parking spaces.   The idea is that water will soak into the ground through the concrete rather than flowing into the local drainage system.  

 

 

Below is the site plan for a new Penske Truck Rental store being built off Pecue.    Not sure what I expected from that development next to the new interchange, but it wasn't a John Deere dealership and a Penske truck rental. 

Edited May 3, 2023 by cajun

[cajun]

Another C-store off Nicholson at Ben Hur across from the Chevron station that was built last year.   Although to their credit, the plans here call for more landscaping than what you see at that new Chevron store (Tiger Paws?).

If you look closely, you can see the plans for a future development on the right side of the layout plan below.   No idea what that is, but it connects through a service road behind this new C-store.

Wonder what brand of gas they will sell.....You think it might be Shell?  Or maybe Valero?

BTW that little intersection of Nicholson and Ben Hur might be the most pothole-ridden stretch of pavement anywhere in Baton Rouge.   They need to overlay the whole intersection.

Edited May 3, 2023 by cajun

[cajun]

New Subdivision off Highway 42 in Prarieville; I think by DLSD but not sure.    About 94 home sites.  It's called Windsor Park.  It's across and just west of the Kleinpeter operation by Louisiana Nursery.

Edited May 3, 2023 by cajun

[cajun]

Proposed in-fill residential development just west of I-10 off 74 in Dutchtown.    It's a smaller gated development with 36 homesites.

https://ascensionparishla.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1372/overview

Edited May 3, 2023 by cajun

[richyb83]

12 hours ago, cajun said:

It's a school.  They are building a school in Baton Rouge.

 

Some other news:   Magnolia Woods in-fill development is going up around Highland at Staring.   Looks like higher end housing on smaller lots with office/restaurant space facing Highland

Thanks for all of your post! Was hoping for an update on the Magnolia Woods development. May have to ride by that way and check it out one day.

 

The poor Ascension thread as been quite lately; prolly tucked away on Page 2. Everytime i ride that way i'm impressed with all the new growth (shopping centers ; neighborhood/subdivisions etc

[cajun]

So this property was a major haven for crime and drugs; and now it's going to be vacant.   If the owner is willing to sell or develop, they can make a lot of cash.   It's excellent from a visibility and location standpoint.    I'm surprised they got a waiver for a trailer park there in the first place; and I'm glad that local officials are enforcing the law and trying to take care of their community.    

Residents evicted from troubled Ascension trailer park; government demolishes it as a 'nuisance'

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/residents-evicted-from-troubled-ascension-trailer-park-government-demolishes-it-as-a-nuisance/article_9494f664-e9ca-11ed-b3bc-57647e68a15b.html#tncms-source=featured-top

Nikki Brown and a volunteer who responded to a Facebook plea were in the last leg of a hurried move Wednesday from her home of more than a year as a track hoe demolished trailers in the distance.

It was the last day for the roughly 40 people living in an allegedly illegal and troubled trailer park in Dutchtown to leave. A crew hired by the parish to clear out the property, which officials have decried as a source of crime and drug activity for years, was already at work.

Tucked behind a Dairy Queen just off Interstate 10, the Pookey Lane trailer park's collection of ramshackle mobile homes and cottages stands in sharp contrast to the spiffy suburban commercial zone that has grown up along La. 73 and down the highway from Ascension's largest school, Dutchtown High, and some of its priciest neighborhoods. 

Edited May 4, 2023 by cajun

[richyb83]

More or less a continuation of the article from the other day.

Baton Rouge still losing residents as suburbs keep growing

https://www.businessreport.com/business/census-city-of-baton-rouge-loses-residents-while-suburbs-grow

---

The city of Baton Rouge is losing population at a rapid rate while East Baton Rouge Parish’s suburban cities—Zachary and Central— and its two most populated neighboring parishes—Livingston and Ascension—are gaining residents. 

That’s according to figures made available today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Per 2022 estimates, the city of Baton Rouge was down more than 5,000 residents from 2020 and down 2,623 residents from 2021. 

Zachary and Central, both within the parish, saw their populations increase. Gonzales and Donaldsonville, both in Ascension Parish, also saw population increases, while the populations of both Denham Springs and Port Allen remained relatively flat. 

Parishwide, East Baton Rouge lost more than 3,100 residents from 2021 and more than 5,300 residents from 2020. Ascension and Livingston parishes both saw their populations increase. Ascension Parish gained nearly 2,000 residents from 2021 and nearly 3,500 from 2020. Meanwhile, Livingston Parish gained nearly 2,200 residents from 2021 and more than 5,600 from 2020. 

Andrew Fitzgerald, with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, says the numbers playing out locally are part of a larger national trend. 

“What we’re seeing is that metro areas are growing but the urban core is losing residents while the suburban areas are exploding,” he says. 

Construction and manufacturing jobs are growing around Geismar, drawing workers and their families to Ascension Parish, he says, while property values are attracting residents to move to Livingston Parish. 

Other population changes noted in the data include births-over-deaths, which was +831 from 2021 to 2022 in East Baton Rouge Parish. While international net migration was +1,588 for the parish, domestic net migration was -5,589 from 2021 and -10,232 from 2020. 

As a whole, Louisiana also saw a dramatic out-migration of residents—with more than 80,000 exiting the state since 2020.

[cajun]

On 5/21/2023 at 9:07 PM, richyb83 said:

More or less a continuation of the article from the other day.

Baton Rouge still losing residents as suburbs keep growing

https://www.businessreport.com/business/census-city-of-baton-rouge-loses-residents-while-suburbs-grow

---

The city of Baton Rouge is losing population at a rapid rate while East Baton Rouge Parish’s suburban cities—Zachary and Central— and its two most populated neighboring parishes—Livingston and Ascension—are gaining residents. 

That’s according to figures made available today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Per 2022 estimates, the city of Baton Rouge was down more than 5,000 residents from 2020 and down 2,623 residents from 2021. 

Zachary and Central, both within the parish, saw their populations increase. Gonzales and Donaldsonville, both in Ascension Parish, also saw population increases, while the populations of both Denham Springs and Port Allen remained relatively flat. 

Parishwide, East Baton Rouge lost more than 3,100 residents from 2021 and more than 5,300 residents from 2020. Ascension and Livingston parishes both saw their populations increase. Ascension Parish gained nearly 2,000 residents from 2021 and nearly 3,500 from 2020. Meanwhile, Livingston Parish gained nearly 2,200 residents from 2021 and more than 5,600 from 2020. 

Andrew Fitzgerald, with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, says the numbers playing out locally are part of a larger national trend. 

“What we’re seeing is that metro areas are growing but the urban core is losing residents while the suburban areas are exploding,” he says. 

Construction and manufacturing jobs are growing around Geismar, drawing workers and their families to Ascension Parish, he says, while property values are attracting residents to move to Livingston Parish. 

Other population changes noted in the data include births-over-deaths, which was +831 from 2021 to 2022 in East Baton Rouge Parish. While international net migration was +1,588 for the parish, domestic net migration was -5,589 from 2021 and -10,232 from 2020. 

As a whole, Louisiana also saw a dramatic out-migration of residents—with more than 80,000 exiting the state since 2020.

 

Louisiana has very poor leadership, and it's not exclusively the governor's lack of emphasis on economic development.   It's local government too - and it transends political party.   

The legislature is incapable of focusing on any regional goal.   They deliver very little value to taxpayers, and expect loyalty for their terrible performance.   We have got to invest in this state if we want to keep it viable.  We can't throw cash at countless stupid things and ignoring the major needs that can put the whole state on a competitive footing.    Worst of all, there is rightfully very little trust among taxpayers that the state can accomplish anything (it's even worse in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, where local leaders are incompetent at best).    They've seen taxes passed for specific things only to see general funds get raided to support pet projects 50 miles away that have no impact on them - so they end up with higher taxes and the same crappy infrastructure.   They've been bitten too many times and are skeptical of state and local government at baseline.

And there is still an element of voters that are okay with paying heavy taxes and expecting so little in return so long as their local pet projects are funded by people who they never see.   Those are just the most confusing to me.   It's like they've never been anywhere else but their own little neighborhood.   They got screwed by a terrible public school system but don't even realize it.   They live in a broken neighborhood, and still aren't interested in fixing any of it.   These are the same times that almost considers the governor as some kind of king and demand state taxpayers pay for things like a new HVAC system for their church (yeah - that happens almost every year) or a local park in their tiny town.   I don't know if it's the French connection to Louisiana's past or the heavy African American population that drives this mindset but the momentum from this is here and it's not productive.   A rising tide lifts all ships - we all win if the state is successful.   And we all lose if we can't get our act together.     

And in almost all cases across the political spectrum - everyone is far too obsessed with superficial social issues instead of real problems.   The media likes to emphasize those things over our major problems because most of our "journalists" are in bed with the politicians.   We need more Kiran Chawla's and fewer Advocate or WBRZ shills.    Same problem as the US at large, but on a smaller scale.   I have no idea how to fix it.     Everyone gets heated about "groomers" or the high incarceration rate in this very high crime state because our media outlet's agenda dictates that they talk about it nonstop.    But no one gives a hoot if the state throws several hundred million dollars a year away on issue that state taxpayers have absolutely no business paying for while things we actually need to address continue to be neglected.   We end up losing our competitive advantage for anything and watch our home grown businesses leave for Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, or even Memphis - taking their jobs and our kid's futures with them.

I'm fortunate in life right now.   It took 20 years of intense work to get here, and I'm insulated from these problems.  I'm going to make sure my kids are insulated from them.   I'm guilty of not really taking action on anything because I just don't have the time.  I support the state investing in infrastructure, especially in its metro areas.    I am frustrated that we aren't doing enough even though the state is flush with about $2.2 billion in extra cash right now.

Edited June 7, 2023 by cajun

[richyb83]

One of the Post of the Year Cajun! Very well said!  AGREED ... need more Kiran Chawla's and fewer Advocate or WBRZ shills.  Local & National!

Baton Rouge's Capitol City Produce plans $22M expansion of facility at I-12 and O'Neal

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/capitol-city-produce-announces-22-million-expansion/article_cdfb968e-0bb1-11ee-b768-97e77ce7cc6c.html

 

[dan326]

On 6/7/2023 at 10:11 AM, cajun said:

 

Louisiana has very poor leadership, and it's not exclusively the governor's lack of emphasis on economic development.   It's local government too - and it transends political party.   

The legislature is incapable of focusing on any regional goal.   They deliver very little value to taxpayers, and expect loyalty for their terrible performance.   We have got to invest in this state if we want to keep it viable.  We can't throw cash at countless stupid things and ignoring the major needs that can put the whole state on a competitive footing.    Worst of all, there is rightfully very little trust among taxpayers that the state can accomplish anything (it's even worse in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, where local leaders are incompetent at best).    They've seen taxes passed for specific things only to see general funds get raided to support pet projects 50 miles away that have no impact on them - so they end up with higher taxes and the same crappy infrastructure.   They've been bitten too many times and are skeptical of state and local government at baseline.

And there is still an element of voters that are okay with paying heavy taxes and expecting so little in return so long as their local pet projects are funded by people who they never see.   Those are just the most confusing to me.   It's like they've never been anywhere else but their own little neighborhood.   They got screwed by a terrible public school system but don't even realize it.   They live in a broken neighborhood, and still aren't interested in fixing any of it.   These are the same times that almost considers the governor as some kind of king and demand state taxpayers pay for things like a new HVAC system for their church (yeah - that happens almost every year) or a local park in their tiny town.   I don't know if it's the French connection to Louisiana's past or the heavy African American population that drives this mindset but the momentum from this is here and it's not productive.   A rising tide lifts all ships - we all win if the state is successful.   And we all lose if we can't get our act together.     

And in almost all cases across the political spectrum - everyone is far too obsessed with superficial social issues instead of real problems.   The media likes to emphasize those things over our major problems because most of our "journalists" are in bed with the politicians.   We need more Kiran Chawla's and fewer Advocate or WBRZ shills.    Same problem as the US at large, but on a smaller scale.   I have no idea how to fix it.     Everyone gets heated about "groomers" or the high incarceration rate in this very high crime state because our media outlet's agenda dictates that they talk about it nonstop.    But no one gives a hoot if the state throws several hundred million dollars a year away on issue that state taxpayers have absolutely no business paying for while things we actually need to address continue to be neglected.   We end up losing our competitive advantage for anything and watch our home grown businesses leave for Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, or even Memphis - taking their jobs and our kid's futures with them.

I'm fortunate in life right now.   It took 20 years of intense work to get here, and I'm insulated from these problems.  I'm going to make sure my kids are insulated from them.   I'm guilty of not really taking action on anything because I just don't have the time.  I support the state investing in infrastructure, especially in its metro areas.    I am frustrated that we aren't doing enough even though the state is flush with about $2.2 billion in extra cash right now.

Yup, the "news" doesn't really report much of importance.

[cajun]

On 6/18/2023 at 9:20 PM, dan326 said:

Yup, the "news" doesn't really report much of importance.

They spend an inordinate amount of time on superficial social issues to set people against each other.   A divided populace can not easily focus on the issues that may threaten the status quo.   

It's not exclusive to Louisiana unfortunately.   I think very little of the journalism industry at large these days.   

[richyb83]

EXACTLY! ^^^^

VIDEO shows new road at 1:02 & 1:29 phase two

City-Parish planning to build street through busy parking lots on College Drive

https://www.wbrz.com/news/city-parish-planning-to-build-street-through-busy-parking-lots-on-college-drive

City-Parish transportation officials are looking to address the congestion on College Drive in a rather unconventional way. 

"It's outside the box, but lots of times we get criticized by people that we don't think outside the box like other cities. I think this project will set that example," EBR Transportation Director Fred Raiford said.

Aside from the planned signal upgrades and improvements for pedestrians, project plans are calling for an entirely new road to be constructed in two phases. Raiford says it's called a backage road. 

"It's gonna be a road that's gonna be between the shopping area and the parking lot and the main businesses out on College,"

During phase 1 of the project, a road will be built through the Hobby Lobby parking lot behind Chick-Fil-A and other establishments to connect Bennington and Concord avenues.

"Phase 2 will tie in from College and go through the Walmart [parking lot] and go all the way up to Balis,"

According to Raiford, the goal is to build these roads before major lane restrictions take place on I-10 in 2025. The additional side streets will hopefully alleviate some of the congestion from the main road. 

[cajun]

On 7/18/2023 at 7:30 PM, richyb83 said:

EXACTLY! ^^^^

VIDEO shows new road at 1:02 & 1:29 phase two

City-Parish planning to build street through busy parking lots on College Drive

https://www.wbrz.com/news/city-parish-planning-to-build-street-through-busy-parking-lots-on-college-drive

City-Parish transportation officials are looking to address the congestion on College Drive in a rather unconventional way. 

"It's outside the box, but lots of times we get criticized by people that we don't think outside the box like other cities. I think this project will set that example," EBR Transportation Director Fred Raiford said.

Aside from the planned signal upgrades and improvements for pedestrians, project plans are calling for an entirely new road to be constructed in two phases. Raiford says it's called a backage road. 

"It's gonna be a road that's gonna be between the shopping area and the parking lot and the main businesses out on College,"

During phase 1 of the project, a road will be built through the Hobby Lobby parking lot behind Chick-Fil-A and other establishments to connect Bennington and Concord avenues.

"Phase 2 will tie in from College and go through the Walmart [parking lot] and go all the way up to Balis,"

According to Raiford, the goal is to build these roads before major lane restrictions take place on I-10 in 2025. The additional side streets will hopefully alleviate some of the congestion from the main road. 

It will be a huge help.  The problem here is execution.    When was the last time LADOTD did something well?   We've got a fully funded megaproject sitting unfinished in Port Allen because people didn't realize that there is active soil near a major waterway.    It's been stuck with zero activity for 6+ months now.   The alternative route to that was the LA415 connector - which is also delayed for over 2 years despite being fully funded.

And to be frank, the city of Baton Rouge doesn't have local leadership competent enough to manage a parking meter replacement project.   Work on Green Light/MoveEBR has been painfully slow for 6-7 years now.    Nothing meaningful seems to be getting done anymore.  

Edited August 1, 2023 by cajun

[richyb83]

BRCC and Our Lady of the Lake Health Break Ground on State-of-the-Art Nursing and Allied Health Building

https://www.mybrcc.edu/news/groundbreaking23.php

[cajun]

33 minutes ago, richyb83 said:

BRCC and Our Lady of the Lake Health Break Ground on State-of-the-Art Nursing and Allied Health Building

https://www.mybrcc.edu/news/groundbreaking23.php

I guess "state of the art" doesn't apply to the exterior.   One American Place pioneered that look in Baton Rouge in 1974.  

On the other hand...Kudos to the architects for making something that will blend well with Florida street.  I think the rendering is taken from the perspective of Florida blvd.    The McDonalds is to the right out of the frame.  

Edited August 7, 2023 by cajun