The LA 1/I-10 Connector - West Baton Rouge Parish Council

Bridge safety, evacuation
and bottleneck issues
IS
N
to Intracoastal Waterway
PA R
The solution
CIL
The LA 1/I-10
Connector
H COU
The LA 1/I-10
Connector
What is it?
A 3-mile road that bypasses the congested La. Hwy. 1 corridor at the
Intracoastal Waterway Bridge and provides another access point to I-10
and the Mississippi River Bridge. The four-lane divided roadway will
extend south from I-10 at the La. Hwy. 415 exit over the Intracoastal
Waterway to North Line Road and connect with La. Hwy. 1.
Over 45,000 vehicles a day travel down La. Hwy. 1. If we have
an accident that blocks the highway or Intracoastal Bridge the only
detour is through Iberville Parish on La. 77 back to I-10,
which is a 53 mile detour.
The Intracoastal Bridge is over 50 years old, is rated F, and is
over capacity.
This is a regional project. West Baton Rouge has a population of 24,000,
but 45,000 vehicles travel over that bridge daily, and the plants along La.
Hwy. 1 have announced
significant expansions that will add to
the vehicle traffic.
WBR Parish President
Riley “Pee Wee” Berthelot
35,000 trucks leave the Dow site annually traveling down La.
Hwy. 1, and with the growth at our site we could see another 7,000
more trucks on the road a year.
There is a renaissance of manufacturing and engineering in our region,
if we don’t have the infrastructure then that future growth
will pass us by. Five to seven years from now will be too late.
but
Stacey Chiasson – The Dow Chemical Co.
OVERVIEW:
La. Hwy. 1 is a principal artery of the national transportation system with an
intermodal link to the nation’s energy supply, and oil and gas industries. It
connects to Interstate 10 in West Baton Rouge, crossing the Intracoastal
Bridge. This bridge is the only unrestricted access for La. Hwy. 1 in the
region.
44,700 vehicles travel over the Intracoastal Bridge daily – far exceeding
its design capacity. The bridge has an F rating and is more
than 50 years old. The La. 1 route, which is also exceeding
its design capacity, is also a hurricane evacuation route
for some 120,000 people in south Louisiana. The I-10/
La. Hwy. 1 Connector is the solution to this critical traffic
bottleneck.
connector
will play a critical role
in the Port’s growth. We
The I-10/La. 1
have acquired 400 acres
for expansion and surface
transportation is important.
Jay Hardman, Port of
Greater Baton Rouge
2006 I-10 West of Grosse Tete
2007 I-10 @ Breaux Bridge
2007 I-10 @ US Hwy 61-Sorrento
2007 LA 1 at the Intracoastal
44,712
40,400
40,218
32,718
44,700
TRAFFIC COUNTS
2007 I-10 Between LA Hwy 30 & 44
“We have available land and our location along
the river and interstate is perfect, but our
transportation issue is a huge issue
that is holding us back.”
Kathy Stuart, WBR Chamber
of Commerce Director
WHY AN ALTERNATIVE
ROUTE IS CRITICAL:
Economic Viability/Development:
• The population of West Baton Rouge is only 24,000, yet 44,700 vehicles travel on La.
Hwy. 1 and over the Intracoastal Bridge daily. This shows the La. 1 roadway is a
major transportation route for this region and south Louisiana.
• Recently announced and expected projects at Westbank
chemical plants total $2.7 to $3 billion, and will bring hundreds
of jobs. This will further stress this already congested roadway.
Approximately 35,000 trucks travel to and from the Dow Chemical Co. site straddling
West Baton Rouge and Iberville Parishes on La. Hwy. 1 La. 1 annually, and planned
projects/expansions coming to the site will bring an additional 7,000 trucks traveling La.
Hwy. 1 annually.
• A 1998 Executive Order by Gov. Mike Foster noted 95% of fish are shipped
to market via La. Hwy. 1, sugarcane and vegetable harvests
totaling more than
$225,000,000 are
transported over La.
Hwy. 1, and the goods and
95%
of fish shipped
via LA Hwy. 1
services for the region’s oil, gas
and petrochemical industry are
transported via La. Hwy. 1.
• Economic development
$225,000,000
of sugarcane and vegetable
harvests travel LA Hwy. 1
and residential
development of the area
are stifled because of the traffic issues at the Intracoastal Waterway
Bridge.
WHY AN ALTERNATIVE
ROUTE IS CRITICAL:
• Peak hour congestion, accidents and maintenance projects in the area of the
Intracoastal Waterway Bridge regularly create severe disruption to
La. Hwy. 1 traffic flow. This cripples business efficiency in
numerous ways.
• In the last 50 years, the Baton Rouge area has more than doubled in population,
and seen more than twice the growth of other Louisiana metropolitan areas. Long-
term projections anticipate an additional 217,799 residents
will live in the area by 2035, according to the CDM Smith Comprehensive
Traffic and Toll Revenue Study commissioned by West Baton Rouge Parish.
• The Baton Rouge region is poised for relatively strong economic growth
and robust employment growth in the future due to the presence
of large-scale, relatively stable industries, emerging industries and advantageous
transportation corridors. A projected 383,474 jobs are predicted by
2035, according to the CDM Smith Comprehensive Traffic and Toll Revenue Study.
Announced Westbank projects coming include:
Shintech expansion (WBR and Iberville) - $550 million
Exxon Mobil expansion (WBR) - $75 million
CF Industries expansion (Donaldsonville) - $2.1 billion
Three to four other expansions and new business
announcements are expected in 2013, all impacting
La. Hwy. 1 in West Baton Rouge and Iberville.
WHY AN ALTERNATIVE
ROUTE IS CRITICAL:
Safety:
• The present Intracoastal Waterway Bridge is more than 50 years old and has exceeded
its design capacity, with 44,700 vehicles traveling over it daily. Its present
level of service is rated F, meaning it is well over capacity.
• By comparison, the I-10 interchange at Breaux Bridge has 41,054 vehicles per day and the I-10/US
61 (Airline Hwy.) route at Sorrento has only 36,324 vehicles traveling it daily.
• The only other route back to La. Hwy. 1 if the bridge is closed is a 53-mile
journey on a winding 2-lane highway, and with traffic it becomes a 2-3 hour ordeal.
• The proximity of the Intracoastal Bridge to the I-10 bridge is so close that when the
Intracoastal Bridge is backed up with traffic, which happens daily, the
traffic backs up on the I-10 bridge. This creates safety concerns on both
bridges and La. Hwy. 1.
Emergencies and Evacuations:
• The La. Hwy. 1 route over the Intracoastal Waterway
Bridge is the hurricane evacuation route for
some 120,000 people in seven parishes. It is
estimated that evacuation would take 24 to 36 hours on this
route!
• La. Hwy. 1 is also the evacuation route if
a release occurs at one of the many
petrochemical plants in the region.
• There is no emergency treatment center
in West Baton Rouge or Iberville, so
emergency patients must be transported to Baton Rouge hospitals. Traffic
delays and Intracoastal Bridge lane closures can be life threatening for these emergency ambulance
patients south of the Intracoastal Bridge.
Map showing the only existing route to the interstate if the Intracoastal
Waterway Bridge is closed – a 53 mile detour on a 2-lane highway!
We have a great propensity for hazardous materials releases here and
with only one crossing over the Intracoastal Waterway,
that provides huge limitations to us in mass evacuation
situations. Often motor vehicle accidents block both lanes of the
often we have to shut
down the other lanes unaffected by the crash in order to
get emergency vehicles and patients over the bridge. It’s a
dangerous maneuver. Our greatest fear is that we will be unable to
Intracoastal Bridge in one direction, and so
access in a timely fashion accidents that may be life threatening to our
citizens due to the traffic issues and that one access.”
Rick Boudreaux, Port Allen Fire Chief
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t, Jr.,
Riley L. Berthelo Parish President
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Box 757, 880 N
Avenue, Port A
llen, LA 70
383.4755(w)
767-0757 . 225.
387.0218
(H) . FAX 225.
. 225.687-4767
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a
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75¢
mber 19
Volume 74 Nu
THURSDAY
,
DECEMBER 10
2009
PORT ALLEN,
LOUISIANA
F EATU RE S
LOCAL
WEST SIDE
T
L
F F I C I A
J
sto ry by
-ph oto s and
Jou rna l
e We st Sid e
ms /Th
Aa ron Wi llia
4
SPORTS
eaks
Redemptorist squ
past Brusly
62-61
Page
E S T
B
AT O N
R
O U G E
12
PA
R I S H
elays
vers irritated
e closure; dri
es 3-hour bridg
ll caus
Meet our
Baby of the Week
Newspaper
coverage of
a closure of
Intracoastal
Waterway Bridge
that lasted some
6-8 hours.
W
fast after spi
Officials think
4
Page
O F
ajor d
m
s
e
s
u
a
c
l
l
i
ime sp
H E
L
Local couple to
tie the knot
Page
O
L
O U R N A
Jason
(from left)
R Parish
Manola, WB
President
School Board
Executive
and
the WBR
Assistant to
President;
ish
Par
, Director
ran
Deano Mo
ergency
of WBR em
Port
;
preparedness
ief, Rick
Ch
e
Fir
en
All
three
and
;
aux
Boudre
fighters
Port Allen fire back to
make their way after
s
icle
veh
ir
the
rs on the
spending hou
Canal
Intracoastal
g with
bridge helpin truck
r a
clean-up afte
sing a
spilled lime cau ay on
del
major traffic
December 2.
e the
The men wer dge
bri
last to leave the opened
before it was
ffic flow
again for tra .
around 5:30 p.m ured
The spill occ
.
around 2:30 p.m
-hazardous, not
non
was
ry
slur
e
onThough the lim in the air, according to the
ydump truck carr
safety risk
substance is
December 2, a
Maynard, the
the posing a
ld have
On Wednesday,
Q agent, Holly
e of its load on
with care, cou
slurry lost som traffic delay last- scene DE
dled
e
han
lim
of
not
if
load
a
ing a
ge.
slippery and
al bridge, causing
hes on the brid handle it this
Intracoastal Can rs.
the cause of cras
hou
slurry, been would rather take the time and k to handle
ing about three 2, a truck, loaded with lime
be bac
“We
go across and
to make
d
ple
use
peo
t
let
On December
duc
Allen Police
pro
the way then t,” said Fred Smith, Port
agricultural
entering onto
iden
a non-hazardous
public safety.”
ile, hit a gap
on the an acc
e shut down
soil more fert bridge, causing a bracket lime Chief. “It's a matter of
wer
s
lane
1
al
ss
d La.
Intracoastal Can k to malfunction, spilling the
The Northboun allowing school buses to cro
truc
.,
p.m
0
students in
3:3
tailgate of the
up
around
to pick
bridge.
aux, said that
Student
ard, in order
slurry over the
ed in the First
ef, Rick Boudre and the fire over Southw
ion
Chi
stat
Fire
are
en
es
Port All
p.m.,
Brusly, as the bus edale Road in Port Allen.
d around 2:30
on Ros
sident and
the spill occurre ed immediately.
on parking lot nola, WBR School Board Pre said that
ond
to a stand still
department resp
Jason Ma
President,
l
traffic to come
r for the Parish
Allen,
The spill caused s of La. 1 to the Intracoasta
Executive Directo issued by the city of Port
and
lane
d
en;
oun
All
plan
da
mid-Port
the Southb
ge 3.
er they operate
backing up into
See Traffic, Pa
Mississippi Riv
Canal bridge,
I-10
the
of
s
lane
the Westbound
bridge.
, the
PAPD, PAFD
’s Dept.,
WBR Sheriff
na State
and the Louisia among
police were during
those on scene r the
afte
the clean-up
ember
lime spill on Dec the
sed
2, which cau Canal
Intracoastal
down for
bridge to shut
rs.
about three hou
worked
Crews
to sweep
relentlessly
lime and
up
vel
sho
and
get the
dirt, trying to
for
ready
bridge
reopen.
IN S ID E
.....................2
Events.............
.......3
ourt
out of c
it
u
s
w
la
s
le
t
t
usly se
Br
ILLIAMS
EDITOR
idejournal.com
editor@thewests
to settle the
the town agreed court in the
lawsuit out of .
,500
$14
of
unt
amo
il dispute
“It's just a civ a former
n and
between the tow
Normand. “I
resident,” said
we settle.”
recommend that that settling
Normand said
lly responsiwould be financia s can bring
suit
ble, as ongoing
onal3, conditiJournal
West
Side
- December 10, 2009
Ordinance 19.3
hols to once
ly allowed Nic home, which
again occupy his
was a trailer.
conditions
Some of the
ing
sly
Bru
of
ing a fee, hav
n
During a tow nday, the included pay the ground to
Mo
from
special meeting settle a law- a skirting on all sides, and
the siding
ncil agreed to
BY AARON W
tcess of renova
was in the pro and was not
ty
ing the proper
utive
sec
con
90
for
ever vacant
days.
in a 2008
Nichols said West Side
the
interview with
clothes and
had
he
Journal that
mobile home
furniture at the hbors hadn't
and because neig
the
would have
“We probably e financial
sam
ended up in the said, adding
condition,” he
tee members'
that the commit simply ends
le
choice to sett
n if they
tha
much sooner
tinue on with
decided to con
the suit.
yers) made
“(Nichols' law k it,” said
too
an offer, and we
Normand.
m resi-
More coverage
of one
Intracoastal
Waterway
Bridge closure
The Advocate - December 3, 2009
PROGRESS ON THE
CONNECTOR ROUTE:
The La. Hwy. 1/La. 415 connector route was first proposed in the 1960s, and numerous studies
have been completed on the alternative route.
Studies completed include:
◗ La. DOTD feasibility study (1989)
◗ Initial Corridor Study and Phase II corridor study (2002)
◗ Environmental assessment study (2006)
◗ Line and grade study (2006)
◗ Final environmental assessment study with finding of no significant impact (2007)
◗ Investment grade comprehensive traffic and toll revenue study
◗ 30% Preliminary Plan
In addition, this alternative route has been deemed worthy by both the federal government
(Federal Aid Project No. CBI-6103(501) and the La. DOTD (Project No. 700-61-0113).
It is currently included in both the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Plan (Priority #2
list) and the Louisiana Transportation Improvement Program.
In a mass
casualty incident where you need extensive
resources, it could mean life or death with any
delayed response because of that one access point.”
“A second access point is vital to public safety.
Daniel Lennie, Acadian Ambulance
The Connector Project is
endorsed by:
Capital Region Planning Commission
Iberville Parish Council
St. James Parish Council
Greater Baton Rouge Port Commission
West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce
West Baton Rouge School Board
Louisiana Congressional Delegation
Louisiana House & Senate Delegations
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Riley Berthelot, Parish President
West Baton Rouge Parish
225.336.2403
P.O. Box 757
Port Allen, LA 70767-0757
www.wbrcouncil.org
CIL
N
PA R
IS
H COU