I10 widening to start tomorrow!

[all2neat]

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/37052144.html

Wooohoooo!

[cajun]

Yeah.

3 years of hell...but at least when it's done there's a chance that it might make a difference.

[richyb83]

It's about time!!!!! Should have been done 10 years ago! Curious to see how the new design will work for the additional lane on I-10 overpass(over I-12) to the 10-12 merge. Frontage roads should be added connecting College Drive to Bluebonnet Blvd.

[all2neat]

It's about time!!!!! Should have been done 10 years ago! Curious to see how the new design will work for the additional lane on I-10 overpass(over I-12) to the 10-12 merge. Frontage roads should be added connecting College Drive to Bluebonnet Blvd.

I don't think that will change at all.. Everything they say is that the work will be between the i12/10 split and not include it.. So what I see happening is that the fly ramp for I12 West to I10 East will be a dedicated lanefor I10, and people wanting to exit essen will have to jump over an additional lane.. Same goes from I10 west to I12 east.. I see the people entering on I10 West and want to continue on I10 west will have to not only merge onto the I10 exit lane for I12 East, but move over an additional lane.. Not sure if that makes sense.. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you are merging... You might have to cross an extra lane in a couple of years..

BTW, has anyone come across any official blueprints for this plan.. I like what they have on the Green Light plans website where they show you what they are planning to do.. Hopefully this project is done early as they already have I10 widened between Bluebonnet and Siegen. Personally I don't see why this will take as long as planned.

[richyb83]

I think I understand Just trying to imagine driving I-10 westbound and having the extra-lane wedged between all those lanes where 10-12 meet. I'm with you; 3 years does seem long. Could it be because of the overpass bridges?? Essen/I-10 Intersection is supposed to see some dramatic changes...is this why it will take so long??

It will probably never happen; but the I-12 Fly-over really needs an extra-lane; morning rush hour has that sucker clogged up and backed-up.

[all2neat]

I think I understand Just trying to imagine driving I-10 westbound and having the extra-lane wedged between all those lanes where 10-12 meet. I'm with you; 3 years does seem long. Could it be because of the overpass bridges?? Essen/I-10 Intersection is supposed to see some dramatic changes...is this why it will take so long??

It will probably never happen; but the I-12 Fly-over really needs an extra-lane; morning rush hour has that sucker clogged up and backed-up.

I'm guessing it'll be the same alignment as the part that is already complete.. Cement median which will allow for the lanes to be shifted to the left a little bit.. I can't wait, and reguarless of what they do, with the extra lane it'll help a ton! Looks like the rain probably delayed the start of this already.. Hopefully that's not a sign of things to come .

[all2neat]

Another story from WAFB.

http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=9625093

[cajun]

With the recession facing us, I think investing more into infrastructure is going to be the reality. It creates jobs and, unlike bailouts, the investment will pay off greatly in the future.

Maybe we can get more freeways widened and loops started in the next couple of years.

[all2neat]

That's my hope as well cajun. President Elect Obama has stated already that he plans on pumping a lot of money into construction projects that are ready to build. Hopefully the Jindal administration is on top of things and asks for money to widen I-10 and I-12 through the state..

[cajun]

That's my hope as well cajun. President Elect Obama has stated already that he plans on pumping a lot of money into construction projects that are ready to build. Hopefully the Jindal administration is on top of things and asks for money to widen I-10 and I-12 through the state..

Unfortunately, I don't think that our loop is "construction ready".

But I'd bet that more extensive I-12 and I-10 expansions are in the works around Baton Rouge along with the new I-49 corridor in Lafayette and north of Shreveport.

It would actually be Vitter and Landreux's job to make sure we get the funding. Jindal more or less pitches the idea.

[all2neat]

Unfortunately, I don't think that our loop is "construction ready".

But I'd bet that more extensive I-12 and I-10 expansions are in the works around Baton Rouge along with the new I-49 corridor in Lafayette and north of Shreveport.

It would actually be Vitter and Landreux's job to make sure we get the funding. Jindal more or less pitches the idea.

The area hasn't even decided where exactly the loop is going to go, not much be ready to build status.. A lot of the green light projects though should qualify for that money since a plan is in place for them and they just await funding.. Locally, and realistically, I think that's what we will get out of it on top of any resurfacing jobs that need to be done.

[richyb83]

Jindal does plan on meeting with Obama about getting federal funds to take I-12 to Walker; hopefully that will be decided before completion to Range Ave in Denham Springs.

Too many NIMBY's for this loop to go anywhere to make everyone happy. Still don't understand why the northern-stretch of loop would get first priority??

Good to see the progress should happen I-49 north of Shreveport; Jindal is on that!

[cajun]

I could see why the northern stretch would get top priority:

1. It would have the most effect on the east-west "thru traffic"

2. It's cheaper...only requiring one bridge of the Mississippi that could make due with a modified Huey Long bridge.

3. Less developed areas north of the city make expropriating property cheaper...and makes the overall route shorter.

4. Less opposition

[all2neat]

I could see why the northern stretch would get top priority:

1. It would have the most effect on the east-west "thru traffic"

2. It's cheaper...only requiring one bridge of the Mississippi that could make due with a modified Huey Long bridge.

3. Less developed areas north of the city make expropriating property cheaper...and makes the overall route shorter.

4. Less opposition

I thought they were not going to widen the old bridge due to the issues widening the HPL bridge in Jefferson Parish?!?

[all2neat]

Well, yesterday I noticed they have the Orange "Road Work Next 4.1 Miles" sign up along with having End Of Construction Zones on the side streets of I10.. Am I the only one glad that they will probably start to tear it up with the start of the LSU semester (end sarcasm)..

[cajun]

^^something to put up with.

I'm just kind of curious how they plan on having two six lane freeways (12 and 10) feeding into one 6 lane freeway (I10 west of College) without major traffic problems?

Need to widen I-10 now from LA 415 to the 10/12 split!

[richyb83]

I'm just kind of curious how they plan on having two six lane freeways (12 and 10) feeding into one 6 lane freeway (I10 west of College) without major traffic problems?

Good question, was wondering that myself! While they are at it, they need to reconfigure the approach of the bridge at I-10/I-110...that just ain't right!

Yeah you right all2neat!

[all2neat]

I'm curious as well cajun now that your bring it up.. People keep complaining that 12 will move the bottle neck further east, but within the city it might create a bigger bottle neck..I10 from 415 to 10/12 has needed to be a lane wider for a while now.. sadly a new MS River Bridge or an expansion of it would take a ton of money and many years to do. They could at least make it 4 lanes after the 10/110 merge to 10/12..

[southeastBR]

I think the loop is the best answer to the whole thing. adding one more lane will help a little,but the loop would make a better transit for people trying to get to Watson, Central, and Gonzales.

[cajun]

Well, I don't know if they were thinking about it...but I sure hope that there's some kind of plan to replace or widen the Huey Long Bridge with this new loop.

This whole country didn't have as many entitlement programs to pay for back in the 1930s....so, a ridiculous amount of "mega" projects were built to enhance the economy during the depression.

Many of those infrastructure projects all over the country are reaching their "sell by" date, and it's going to take one helluva investment to replace them...including TVA, thousands of miles of levees, and most of the freeway system (which hasn't been expanded to meet demand in the last 40 years.

God knows that if something were to happen to either of Baton Rouge's bridges, we'd seriously be screwed. Baton Rouge is the gateway to the west as far as the south is concerned....that I-10 bridge is extremely important and it's not getting any younger.

I think that was the reasoning behind the loop in Lake Charles...and it's something that they need to think about in Baton Rouge. Even if they just take the Airline Highway route- it would help traffic tremendously at the much-hated, very poorly designed I-10/I-110 interchange as well as the I-10/I-12 interchange. That's one of the reasons that the northern loop should be a top priority for the state...followed by the I-49 in Lafayette and a new bridge in the Brusly or Plaquimine area in south Baton Rouge and rebuilding/widening the I-10 freeway over Henderson Swamp.

Simply put...Baton Rouge is way to big to have only one bridge to depend on, and Louisiana is too dependent on freeways to ignore the fact that I-10 and I-12 are clogged and unsafe-even in the rural areas.

[all2neat]

^^^

Good point.. This isn't the only road that is about 70 years old, not just in LA, but in the US.. Road work is going to be very costly the next couple of decades as the depression year projects start to fail due to age.. I guess it's fitting that we may be in another depression (history can only judge that) and so may be these projects can help the country as a whole.. Lord know we need it.

[all2neat]

I10 Jindals Priority.

This is about I10 From Siegen to Highland and the present project.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/37984384....ndex=14&c=y

[all2neat]

I10 from the 10/12 split to Siegen was supposed to be finished this year. They have delayed the finish date by a year.

[all2neat]

I10 west will be shifting to new lanes on Friday, the Picardy on ramp westbound will be closed for the duration of the next phase.

[richyb83]

As in our conversation in the first few post...still can't believe that they are not adding a lane on the westbound I-10 bridge/overpass of I-12 at the split

This is all 10 years too late...better late than never...