(COVINGTON, La.) The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) recently proposed a project that would widen Interstate 12 from about one mile west of the Louisiana Highway 21 interchange to the Highway 59 interchange a few miles east after traffic conditions have worsened.
“Currently, I-12 consists of two travel lanes in each direction,” states to the DOTD website. “The project would include widening the pavement surface into the median, overlaying the existing lanes with asphalt, and installing concrete median protection. Some relatively short sections that are sagging will be completely reconstructed with new pavement. The project will also include auxiliary lanes connecting Pinnacle Parkway across the Tchefuncte River to US 190, and the US 190 and LA 59 interchanges.”
This proposal surfaced just as the $16.8M Bootlegger project on Highway 21 enters its final stages after years of construction. During this time, thousands of commuters, St. Paul’s students, faculty and parents found themselves navigating through a labyrinth of cones and road blocks that seemed to move every day.
“I’ve had to deal with this road work on (Highway) 21 for years now, and I’m honestly done with it,” senior Gage Diez said. “It seems as though we’re spending years working on these roads, and the traffic situation isn’t improving.”
Nevertheless, the DOTD is assuring residents and commuters that the proposed road work would not inhibit their daily drives. According to the DOTD website, “Two lanes in each direction would remain open to traffic during construction. Any lane closures limiting traffic to less than two open lanes would occur at night and would not be continuous throughout the project corridor.”
Nevertheless, this proposal is far from going into effect. An open house meeting was held on July 16 to discuss the matter, but no announcement of the organization moving forward with the project was heard. Below are the computer-generated images, released by the DOTD, that illustrate how the work will be carried out, and what the end product should look like.
(Source: LADOTD)
The Paper Wolf 