Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) recently announced the completion of the $34 million Arkansas Road (LA 616) project.
DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson joined various elected officials Tuesday for a ribbon cutting ceremony commemorating the project’s completion in West Monroe, Ouachita Parish.
“This is truly the culmination of decades of tenacity and dedication toward securing funding, pushing to keep the project on track during the development process, and managing major construction components over the last five years,” Wilson said. “I must extend my appreciation to Gov. (John Bel) Edwards for his steadfast support of all manner of investments in our infrastructure system, this project being a prime example.”
The scope of work included just over three miles of Arkansas Road from LA 143 (N. 7th Street) to Caldwell Road being widened from two lanes to five lanes. The two-way left turn lanes have proven to reduce the potential for rear-end, head-on and turning related crashes.
“On behalf of the thousands of motorists who drive daily on Arkansas Road, I want to thank Gov. John Bel Edwards, DOTD Secretary Dr. Shawn D. Wilson, and the local DOTD office for committing $34 million to this project,” State Rep. Pat Moore (D-Dist. 17) said. “Having efficiency of traffic flow for both motorists and pedestrians matters to our parish residents. I look forward to DOTD finishing other projects in Ouachita Parish.”
Additionally, the work included replacing four traditionally signalized intersections with roundabouts eliminating the stop-and-go congestion associated with traffic signals.
Louisiana DOTD indicated roundabouts enable continuous traffic flow while providing significant reduction in the potential for severe crashes.