Proposed I-410

[brresident]

I sure hope that what happened in Minneapolis never happens here.

All of those rural bridges this country built in the highway boom during the 1920s and 1930s are starting to meet or exceed their useful life. It's going to cost a fortune to rebuild them all....

It's not just a Louisiana thing, either.

[jascowhiz0]

Houston is an economic powerhouse, but their methods of land use and transportation planning are nauseating.

Not everyone sees suburban growth as good, ideal, or desirable. In fact, most urban planners see it as the government's job to reduce it and encourage sustainable development. Sprawl is not sustainable, and sprawl is encouraged by far-flung freeways that give people fast ways to get out of town. Houston is a decentralized, sprawling city that's about 4 times the size of what it should be and their economic windfalls are being eaten up by the exorbitant cost of constantly providing new infrastructure to suburban developments.

Read about sustainable development here, the mantra of UrbanPlanet.

The goal of this loop is to reduce traffic on the existing interstates, not bring "growth" to Baker, Zachary, or the Felicianas.

I don't want to take away from this loop conversation, but Baton Rouge should mimic Houston. Houston will drive urban planners mad because Houston has no zoning laws. What does no zoning laws create... well Houston is successfully luring single professionals back into the city, something cities with urban planning(Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, and others) are having a hard time doing. The population within Houston's inner loop I-610 has increased by 20% since 2000. Every house in Houston is 5 minutes from everything you need (food, doctor, stores) no matter if you are in Cy-Fair, Katy, Memorial, The Woodlands or wherever you are. The way you counter bad traffic is build bigger roads. I-10 West between 6-10 and Highway 6 is being widened to 6 lanes regular interstate, 4 lanes feeder road, 2 lanes HOV both directions. Houston has no zoning and the result of it is the people getting exactly what they want, miles of suburbia or modern city living, which the latter is what urban planners strive to do and never quite get it.

I would say build the loop a bit larger(meaning don't shrink it) in BR, and to ease the traffic on the I-10/I-12 split make it bigger. Houston has rebuilt the 610 loop 3-4 times in the last 30 years.

I lived in New Orleans until Katrina then moved to Houston. I'm in awe at how Houston is run and wish Louisiana could mimic how Texas works.

[Rardy]

[brresident]

I don't want to take away from this loop conversation, but Baton Rouge should mimic Houston. Houston will drive urban planners mad because Houston has no zoning laws. What does no zoning laws create... well Houston is successfully luring single professionals back into the city, something cities with urban planning(Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, and others) are having a hard time doing. The population within Houston's inner loop I-610 has increased by 20% since 2000. Every house in Houston is 5 minutes from everything you need (food, doctor, stores) no matter if you are in Cy-Fair, Katy, Memorial, The Woodlands or wherever you are. The way you counter bad traffic is build bigger roads. I-10 West between 6-10 and Highway 6 is being widened to 6 lanes regular interstate, 4 lanes feeder road, 2 lanes HOV both directions. Houston has no zoning and the result of it is the people getting exactly what they want, miles of suburbia or modern city living, which the latter is what urban planners strive to do and never quite get it.

I would say build the loop a bit larger(meaning don't shrink it) in BR, and to ease the traffic on the I-10/I-12 split make it bigger. Houston has rebuilt the 610 loop 3-4 times in the last 30 years.

I lived in New Orleans until Katrina then moved to Houston. I'm in awe at how Houston is run and wish Louisiana could mimic how Texas works.

I totally agree.

[hagetaka]

NO Zoning Laws, I mean Houston is impressive, but it's very unorganized and it works. 4th largest city in the nation, Baton Rouge cannot compare. It's one of those cities that have no geographical challenges to stop it from growing except for the SE part of the city, where the water is. At last check they were planning "A Grand Parkway" further out that Loop 8. That city has millions of people, BR metro is nothing compare to it.

This local loop idea, with another bridge or 2. Not hot stuff in my mind. If these communites, Zachary, Baker, Central, Denham Springs, Gonzales, and other town start building and investing in and upgrading roads around, things just might work. Fix our local roads 1st and then work on a loop. This loop is scary and very expensive.

[dan326]

I was thinking the same thing. This project worries because I think this might make our sprawl problem worse than before.With a quicker way to get there all of the more affleunt residents will flee to the suburbs and we'll end up just like Atlanta, with a metro 800,000 and a city populaton of 80,000(ATL's population is 1/10 it's metro).And what ever happened to that rapid transit bus? I think they also need to work on a highly visible commuter rail.

[Rardy]

I was thinking the same thing. Thi project worries because I think this might make or sprawl problem worse than before.With a quicker way to get there all of the more affleunt residents will flee to the suburbs and we'll en up just like Atlanta, with a metro 800,000 and a city populaton of 80,000(ATL's population is 1/10 it's metro).And what ever happened to that rapid transit bus? I think also need to work on a highly visible commuter.

Absolutely. There are better ways to get traffic moving in Baton Rouge without giving people a yellow brick road out of town. Financially, BR will be strapped when all the affluent live outside BR or even EBR. If this 80-100 mile loop gets built, all you'll hear is a giant sucking noise in BR as the center city empties out.

This might be bold, but I'll say it anyway. BR can choose one or the other: either a vibrant downtown core, or a loop. You won't get both.

[Gauge]

Public to see potential loop path next week

Two of the committees working on the Baton Rouge Loop project are meeting today in advance of releasing a map showing the loop's potential paths next week. The stakeholder committee, which is charged with communicating with the general public, was scheduled to meet this morning at the Baton Rouge River Center, while the technical advisory committee meets this afternoon at the River Center. In the next week, project engineers will come up with a map showing the potential corridors for the estimated $4 billion project. That map will be released to the public Aug. 16 at a meeting of the presidents of the five affected parishes, a project spokeswoman says. --David Jacobs

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/latest/

[twstdndmntd]

Absolutely. There are better ways to get traffic moving in Baton Rouge without giving people a yellow brick road out of town. Financially, BR will be strapped when all the affluent live outside BR or even EBR. If this 80-100 mile loop gets built, all you'll hear is a giant sucking noise in BR as the center city empties out.

This might be bold, but I'll say it anyway. BR can choose one or the other: either a vibrant downtown core, or a loop. You won't get both.

Wow!!!! I had never really thought about it that way. I can honestly say I could possibly see that actually happening. I mean I say alot of our sprawl problem is that "white flight". The loop could make it even worse. I would be happy with no loop if they did some MAJOR improvements. For one we need 6 lanes on I10 from the split out to Gonzales, and we DO need another bridge going out to Brusly, Plaquemine or one of those towns across the river. Some way we have got to have some kind of bypass for those people in Livingston Parish that work on that side of the river. Along with the fact that we need some kind of connectivity with our surface streets, we have to have more options than just our main surface roads or the interstate. Course we are spending $4 billion on the loop and tolls will pay for that, we simply do not have the $4 billion on hand to do all these major improvements that we need to supplement the loop project. In one way it's a situation of "dammed if you do and dammed if you don't". Thanks for the new insight tho Rardy.

[Gauge]

The proposed routes of this loop vary widely. As long as the loop is built close enough to Baton Rouge, I think it is a good thing for the growth of the city. As a few people have pointed out recently, almost all of the available land within the city has been developed. The city can't really grow anymore without providing some better connectivity and infrastructure to these outlying areas where the growth can and is happening. From reading this article, it appears that the powers that be are well aware that it is not feasible to have the loop go as far south as Donaldsonville or as far north as Zachary. The route that I proposed a few weeks back does pretty much falls within the boundaries of this new map. I think that route will be good for Baton Rouge, from both an economic development and a traffic standpoint.

Also, for what its worth, the majority of the northern loop will be in East Baton Rouge parish. This may have something to do with why it will be built first.

There is a map posted with this story. I don't know how to post a link to the picture in a way that will allow us to still view the picture once it has been moved to the Advocate's archives. Someone please feel free to post the picture (and tell me how to do it if you don't mind).

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/9079431.html

Proposals require study, public input

By SCOTT DYER

Advocate staff writer

Published: Aug 10, 2007 - Page: 1B

Consultants unveiled a map Thursday showing several possible corridors for the proposed $4 billion Baton Rouge loop, stretching from the Sunshine Bridge (La. 70) to the south to a possible corridor between Baker and Zachary to the north.

At this point, engineers are studying the potential corridors

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting this Gauge

This route thing for the proposed loop is a tricky deal. I want to know if they seriously plan on upgrading Hwy.190 bridge??? on the northern route or build a "new" bridge?? so close to the Audubon bridge(St.Francisville/New Roads) now being built.

^ I...save pic as 1st, then go to imageshack.us and copy pic; paste

I can explain better later this evening wit a little more time..It's actually easier to do than to explain. I needed help too; my wife used to help me post the pics

[byrde]

Anything that takes the loop south of Plaquemine will be to far in my opinion. The crossing just north of Plaquemine should accomplish what we need with regards to getting traffic coming from the south away from the 10/12 split area. Passing just south of Blue Bayou and then turning north towards Walker would get my support.

[dan326]

I like yor idea bryde.

[BRPJ]

Anything that takes the loop south of Plaquemine will be to far in my opinion. The crossing just north of Plaquemine should accomplish what we need with regards to getting traffic coming from the south away from the 10/12 split area. Passing just south of Blue Bayou and then turning north towards Walker would get my support.

I agree, the about the south portion. It would be perfect it went just south of blue bayou.

Its funny because they so many options for the souhern loop, and some of those options are way too extreme.

The proposed northern portion is just right. except there should be a new bridge. 190 bridge should be out of the wuestion IMO

[twstdndmntd]

I can see this already, it's going to be a complete and utter disaster. I feel they are trying to make it too big, the city of BR and the metro region has no reason for a loop that size. I agree, anything south of Plaquemine is to far. I am starting to have a real problem with the whole idea. I think a connection between I10 and I12 just south of Denham and a new bridge somewhere around Plaquemine would serve the city and metro region just as good as a complete loop. Again I think the bigger problem is not the thru traffic but the fact that people in Livingston has to come threw the city to get to work at the plants in Iberville Parish.

[Gauge]

I can see this already, it's going to be a complete and utter disaster. I feel they are trying to make it too big, the city of BR and the metro region has no reason for a loop that size. I agree, anything south of Plaquemine is to far. I am starting to have a real problem with the whole idea. I think a connection between I10 and I12 just south of Denham and a new bridge somewhere around Plaquemine would serve the city and metro region just as good as a complete loop. Again I think the bigger problem is not the thru traffic but the fact that people in Livingston has to come threw the city to get to work at the plants in Iberville Parish.

The southern loop will cross the river at Plaquemine. Book it. They have other proposed routes, but in the end, no where else makes sense. They know that.

[dan326]

There is a map posted with this story. I don't know how to post a link to the picture in a way that will allow us to still view the picture once it has been moved to the Advocate's archives. Someone please feel free to post the picture (and tell me how to do it if you don't mind).

I right click on the picture an then click on "Properties". Then highlight the URL and copy it. Then click on the "Insert Image" and paste the URL in the box.

[brresident]

NO Zoning Laws, I mean Houston is impressive, but it's very unorganized and it works. 4th largest city in the nation, Baton Rouge cannot compare. It's one of those cities that have no geographical challenges to stop it from growing except for the SE part of the city, where the water is. At last check they were planning "A Grand Parkway" further out that Loop 8. That city has millions of people, BR metro is nothing compare to it.

This local loop idea, with another bridge or 2. Not hot stuff in my mind. If these communites, Zachary, Baker, Central, Denham Springs, Gonzales, and other town start building and investing in and upgrading roads around, things just might work. Fix our local roads 1st and then work on a loop. This loop is scary and very expensive.

If they started the loop right now, they could finish the Green Light Plan and still have 5 years leftover.

It's not like it's going to show up tommorow. This thing will take 10 to 15 years to build out, and that is after 5 years of this political BS that usually goes with Louisiana.

We are looking at least out to 2020 before the entire loop is complete. Those communities have penty of time to plan and adjust to any growth.

[yis2003yis]

If they started the loop right now, they could finish the Green Light Plan and still have 5 years leftover.

It's not like it's going to show up tommorow. This thing will take 10 to 15 years to build out, and that is after 5 years of this political BS that usually goes with Louisiana.

We are looking at least out to 2020 before the entire loop is complete. Those communities have penty of time to plan and adjust to any growth.

u are right and that is exactly whats going on....everywhere ...every community is growing as we speak...maybe not as fast as some but they all are growing from donaldsonville,gonzales,prairieville,white castle(moving a little slow),plaquemine,baker,zachary,central,walker, ect. all of these areas are moving....and as u can see they all have the same problem as inner baton rouge..population growing and these hwys are 1 or 2 lanned then they have to go into a growing population and widein em out which causes more traffic .....so i agree...they need to start this loop AS SOOOON AS POSSIBLE

[twstdndmntd]

Yes yis, all of those little towns south of us in Iberville are growing at a very fast pace in my mind. But seems they all have to travel on the same road which is LA 1. One thing I love about LA 1 is the fact that it already has a service road on one side which I think helps alot with the local traffic. They should consider putting a service road on the other side and widening LA 1 to 3 lanes to combat traffic for the time being. Course I think that there needs to be another bridge for those people to come into BR. It makes absolutely no sense for them to have to go all the way to Port Allen just to come into the city. One thing that I liked about NOLA, when I lived there was there were multiple ways for the Westbank to come into the city. They have the Cresent City Connection, Huey P. Long, and mulitiple car and pedestrian ferrys. We should consider taking some of those ideas and incorporating them into BR. I'd like to see a bridge or ferry connectiong somewhere on River Rd. around Bluebonnet or Siegen.

[hagetaka]

[Rardy]

Good plan twstd!

[dan326]

http://www.brloop.com/

"B.R. Loop committee unveils route map, Web site

The Baton Rouge Loop executive committee today unveiled a map showing the potential corridors for the estimated $4 billion project that

[dan326]

Look how huge it is! And yes they are scaled right.

[Gauge]

Look how huge it is! And yes they are scaled right.

There are many proposed routes in that map. I would be shocked if the actual route didn't end up being very close to the inner "doughnut hole." Some of those outer routes don't make sense on any level.