LA1 highway project enters Phase 1
According to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), James Construction Group Llc was the low bidder for Phase 1A of the LA1 highway construction project.
James bid $137,479,548 for construction of the elevated portion between Port Fourchon and Leeville. This 8.5-km (5.3-mi), 12-m (40-ft) wide, two-lane segment stretches from south of Leeville to LA 3090 at Port Fourchon.
The existing LA1 is prone to flooding because of subsidence and coastal erosion, but the new road will have an elevation of 6.9 m (22.5 ft) to offset this problem. The new, elevated highway is scheduled to be complete in 2011.
Port Fourchon services about 18% of Am-erica’s supply of crude oil and natural gas and handles more than 75% of the current oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico. Some 675 MMbbl of crude move through the port every year. And more than 600 offshore oil and gas platforms lie within a 64-km (40-mi) radius of Port Fourchon. In addition, according to the LA1 Coalition, studies estimate that 58% of Louisiana’s offshore drilling over the next 30 years will be in the port’s service area.
“LA1 is the road to Louisiana’s economic stability and the path to America’s energy security,” says Johnny Bradberry, DOTD secretary. “LA1 is also vital for the local economy and the safety of residents.”
Each day, nearly 1,300 oversized trucks traverse a 48-km (30-mi) section of LA1 toward Port Fourchon. The new highway will increase safety and convenience for more than 35,000 residents and workers who travel the road daily. More importantly, this road is the only hurricane evacuation route.
“The taking of this bid is a strategically important step in securing access to America’s energy corridor,” says Henri Boulet, executive director of the LA1 Coalition. “We believe that this highway project is critical to the energy security for this country,” adds Falgout.
Project Description
I. Golden Meadow to Port Fourchon, 22 km (13.6 mi):
A new four-lane, fully access controlled, elevated highway between Golden Meadow and Fourchon, Louisiana (Louisiana Hwy. 3090), including interchanges. This section of highway will be elevated above the 100-year base flood elevation, and will be built as two separate, 13-m (43-ft) wide spans.
II. Leeville Bridge, 7 km (4.4 mi):
A two-lane bridge with a 91.4-m (300-ft) horizontal and 22.25-m (73-ft) vertical clearance over Bayou Lafourche and Boudreaux Canal at Leeville. Distance includes interchanges and connector roads.
III. Larose to US 90, 31.4 km (19.5 mi):
A four-lane at-grade highway from Larose to Valentine, including fixed-structure overpasses over the Intracoastal Waterway at Larose and over Bayou Lafourche at Valentine, and a four-lane, at-grade highway from Valentine to US 90. Two alternate routes were considered; Alternate 1 was deemed to have the least environmental impact, while still providing access to a proposed evacuation route north of US 90 to I-10.
IV. Port Fourchon to Grand Isle, 13 km (8 mi):
Highway upgrades and widening of existing two-lane highway.
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Volume 67 Issue 3
March 2007
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