White ribbon of new LA 1 taking shape near Fourchon
And the only road connecting this busy region to the rest of Louisiana and the nation is fragile two-lane LA 1, he notes. As it exists today, LA 1 is vulnerable in a number of important ways:
- Every day, nearly 1,300 big trucks travel down a 30-mi section of the highway, making it twice as deadly as similar highways
- Without LA 1, access to equipment and support personnel for the hundreds of platforms producing 16% to 18% of the nation’s oil and gas would be severely hampered
- A federal study projects an 80% increase in truck traffic on this section of LA 1 during the next decade, further straining the existing highway and its accessibility
- If the current LA 1 were to be rendered unserviceable due to high water in connection with a hurricane harmful to production facilities even for just a few days, this nation’s energy supply would be crippled.
“The importance of the highway to both the Louisiana and US economies is now obvious to the nation,” he says. “While it’s absolutely vital for the local economy, it is critical for the safety of up to 35,000 residents, tourist, and offshore workers in the region, who will benefit from a dependable hurricane evacuation route.”
LA 1 Project costs total $1.5 billion
The LA 1 Highway Improvement proposal is made up of four primary components:
- Golden Meadow to Port Fourchon (15.1 mi):
A four-lane, fully access-controlled, elevated highway between Golden Meadow and Fourchon, Louisiana, (Highway 3090), including interchanges. This section will be elevated above the 500-year base flood elevation, and will be built as two separate, 43-ft-wide spans. - Leeville Bridge (4.4 mi):
A fixed span, two-lane bridge with a 300-ft horizontal and 73-ft vertical clearance over Bayou Lafourche and Boudreaux Canal at Leeville, Louisiana. Distance includes interchanges and connector roads. - Larose to US 90 (19.5 mi):
A four-lane at grade highway from Larose, Louisiana, to Valentine, Louisiana, including fixed-structure overpasses over the Intracoastal Waterway at Larose, and over Bayou Lafourche at Valentine, plus a four-lane, at-grade highway from Valentine to US 90. This section was deemed to have the least environmental impact while still providing access to a proposed evacuation route north of US 90 to I-10. - Port Fourchon to Grand Isle (8 mi):
Highway upgrades and widening of existing two-lane highway.
Total Distance: 47 miles
Project implementation, costs:
The LA 1 project is designed to be built using “end-on-end” type construction methods whenever possible to protect sensitive wetlands and marshes. Phased construction will allow the portions of the project to be built as funding is available.
Phases 1A, 1B and 1C ($349 million)
- Construction of a two-lane elevated highway south of Leeville to LA 3090 at Port Fourchon (6.8 mi)
- Construction of a fixed-span, high-level, two-lane bridge over Bayou Lafourche at Leeville, and the interchanges and connector roads immediately north and south of Leeville, providing independent utility and project benefit (4.4 mi)
- Pre-construction began: 2003
- Construction period: 2005-2009.
Phase 2 ($220 million)
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Volume 68 Issue 3
March 2008
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