Letters: Baton Rouge needs a loop system

My wife and I recently traveled from Cabot, Ark., to Baton Rouge for the LSU-Ole Miss game. Being native to the state of Louisiana we are lifelong Tiger fans.

The point of my letter is, we were appalled at the traffic in and around Baton Rouge. The I-10 Mississippi River bridge has only two lanes entering the capital city of the state.

A city of this size with the major thoroughfare (Interstate 10) constricted to one lane after crossing the Mississippi River is ludicrous. Traffic was at a standstill two miles west of the city.

Here’s my recommendation: Start a drive to develop a highway loop around the city, one segment of road to link into Interstate 10 to the south and one segment of road to link into Interstate 12 to the north. Baton Rouge is too robust to continue operating like this.

The inner-city road construction blockades aren’t helped by through traffic adding to the muddle. Many major cities have a loop system to accommodate through and peripheral traffic. Baton Rouge would certainly benefit from a 21st century highway system. Geaux Tigers!

David Landry

training specialist

Cabot, Ark.

Comments

1) Comment by Attila - 26/11/2012

@BS: I guess you forgot that Iberville parish also pulled out of the loop. There is no doubt that Holden was waiting until after the election to begin to push his efforts to build Kip Holden Blvd. It will not do him any good, the people of Livingston and Ascension are united in their opposition. If Holden wants to build an inner loop and keep it confined to EBR parish I say go for it...and you can loop around and around inside of your own parish until you get dizzy and the world starts looking level.

2) Comment by phil - 26/11/2012

My recommendation is that if you want to travel to an LSU home game then plan ahead and leave early to miss all of the traffic and do not expect the people in EBR Parish to finance a loop just so you can go to an LSU football game. Or maybe we could just move the LSU stadium to a better location that is closer to Arkansas.

3) Comment by DMJ - 26/11/2012

"Start a drive to develop a highway loop around the city, one segment of road to link into Interstate 10 to the south and one segment of road to link into Interstate 12 to the north." We did this, David. Livingston and Ascension killed it.

4) Comment by Hello Baton Rouge - 26/11/2012

If you want to thank a stupid group, thank the Perkins Road ancient businesses by the overpass. They recently campaigned against a widening study that would have added an additional lane from the foot of the bridge to the 10/12 split. Its a good thing we opted to keep a barber shop in business instead of attacking a traffic problem that plagues hundreds of thousands of people a week, huh? After all, its IMPOSSIBLE to find a 1,000 sq ft. building to move a barber shop to.

5) Comment by Bighug - 25/11/2012

Thanks for saving me the time to respond to twinkie's ridiculous comments, nimby. There is no reason that existing roads cannot be improved to accomodate more traffic, except that politicians like to spend a lot of our money. Spending more allows more to stick to their greedy fingers. I think people in the rural areas would welcome the above solution.

6) Comment by nimby? - 25/11/2012

Preppy6917 , surprise , there are rural areas in EBR . twinkie1cat , if you'd check the projected map there are possible routes that would affect a number of black families in the St. Gabriel area . wonder what they think ...

7) Comment by Attila - 24/11/2012

@twinkie1cat: While you may be well versed on the mass transit system of Atlanta, your attempts to correlate the problems of a city of millions to a city of a few hundred thousand does not resonate. As for your moronic assertion that the reason that folks in the surrounding parishes do not want a loop because it would bring in blacks is ludicrous. Who died and set you up as God? Do you profess to have divine providence to make such doltish statements? If Atlanta is soooo much better and progressive than B. R. you have a perfect right to carry your sorry self right back there. The only thing printable thing I I would say to you is....bye.

8) Comment by Preppy6917 - 24/11/2012

I was unaware that super regional megastores such as Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops preferred to open in low-traffic, "rural" areas like Livingston and Ascensiom.

9) Comment by nimby? - 24/11/2012

twinkie1cat , these are rural areas , they'd like to remain as such . they don't want more white folk either , please get a grip ...

10) Comment by twinkie1cat - 24/11/2012

Livingston and Ascension parish are blocking the loop because they don't want more development in their parishes because they are racists and are afraid that the new residents will be African-American. That is the crux of the problem. They have minimal numbers of blacks now and like it that way. It was the same way in Atlanta when they drastically improved public transportation with the trains. The white folks in the suburbs and pictures in their minds of burglars coming to their mansions on the bus, stealing their TV and hopping back on the bus. Eventually, they started their own bus systems that hook into Marta, however, and the only county that does not have a bus system is Fayette which is infested with teapartiers. (Used to be real rural but is well off with a lot of airport employees.) The only real solution is to find a way to build the loop in spite of Livingston and Ascension or else to make it so lucrative for them that they cannot turn it down. By the way, Why does the "new" bridge only have 4 lanes? That is the most stupid thing I have ever seen in my life. It clogs up about once a week with a wreck or a suicidal person and the blockages last for hours. One thing that needs to start very soon is a second bridge next to the first one so that one can go eastbound and the other westbound. That bridge is so Louisiana stupid I cannot believe it was built that way. There also needs to be an emergency ferry kept ready for use when the bridge is closed, a big one to funnel off the traffic.

11) Comment by nimby? - 24/11/2012

Being_Stupid , I know folks in both Livingston and Ascension parish who don't have a problem with a road . the problem lies with the amount of land wanted and that they will not retain property rights to any land adjacent the proposed road . blame the prospective developers for their greed .

12) Comment by Being_Stupid - 24/11/2012

NIMBYs control what is outside their property. Your property rights stop at your property line.

13) Comment by nimby? - 24/11/2012

Being_Stupid , I'm confused . aren't you an advocate for a persons rights in control over their own property ?

14) Comment by Being_Stupid - 24/11/2012

Thank the NIMBYs living in Southdowns and near the Perkins Road Overpass.

15) Comment by Being_Stupid - 24/11/2012

Thank the NIMBYs in Livingston and Ascension Parish.

16) Comment by Attila - 24/11/2012

Hey Dave here's a suggestion for you to take back to AR with you: If you don't live in B. R. or pay taxes here or to the state, save your suggestions for your adopted state. From what I have seen of your highways you have no room to complain about ours. The traffic congestion in B. R is usually at rush hour. That is why they call it rush hour, and it occurs in every city of any size in this country. B. R. is not unique. The political leaders of the city failed miserably for 40 years in getting public support for dedicated highway taxes. The citizens finally woke up in the mid 90's and agreed to one and it is paying dividends today. In about 30 years, at the present pace, B. R. will have surface the surface streets that should have been built 40 years ago,

17) Comment by dday198 - 24/11/2012

david, as stated by spqr. most people here do not want to pay for progress. such as high speed rails, (even if the money is given to us) roads, bridges

18) Comment by Bighug - 24/11/2012

We already have loops around Baton Rouge. I use one of them, Hooper Road, often. We just need to widen them and restrict access, or add a level to existing interstates.

19) Comment by gary - 24/11/2012

What a great idea.

20) Comment by spqr - 24/11/2012

David, the state of Louisiana looks forward to your check. Geaux Tigers.