The administration of Mayor Sharon Weston Broome is preparing to roll out a traffic mitigation plan that centers on laying fiber optic cables and installing signal light control software at 120 traffic signals on 16 highly congested thoroughfares throughout the parish.
Though much of East Baton Rouge Parish is already connected to a network that relays traffic flow data to a central network that controls, or synchronizes, traffic signals based on demand, the 120 signals targeted are either partially or not at all tied into the network for a variety of reasons.
The mayor’s plan, estimated to cost $15 million, will largely be funded through the use of road transfer credits from the state.
In 2016, the city-parish began assuming maintenance of certain state-owned thoroughfares that run through the parish. In return, it receives credits that can be used to procure maintenance services through the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The credits can also be turned into cash for other types of transportation-related projects, though on a limited basis.
The agency has already given the parish the green light to pursue its traffic remediation plan using the credits, Broome says.
Director of Transportation and Drainage Fred Raiford has been working on the plan since last fall, when the Metro Council refused to put on the ballot the administration’s proposed dedicated tax that would have generated $540 million to fund dozens for road, bridge, and sidewalk projects. That plan also included some $50 million worth of traffic control software improvements.
The pared down list in the new plan addresses the most critically congested areas in East Baton Rouge and is expected to reduce trip times by an average of 10%. The proposed system would also allow for better and fairer distribution of green light time on both major and side streets, thereby reducing delays, Raiford says.
It’s unclear when the plan will begin, or how long it will take to implement. The work will be done in stages because the city-parish is not able to access the entire $14.7 million at once. It may only be able to cash in $3 million or $5 million at a time. Raiford is waiting to hear back from DOTD on how much money is available for the project this year.
As a result, the administration has prioritized the areas where work will begin, placing those with the highest traffic counts at the top of the list. They include stretches of Airline Highway, Florida Boulevard, Plank Road, Scenic Highway, Perkins Road and Burbank Drive.
“People who are constantly talking to me about traffic, traffic, traffic,” Broome says. “What I like in this traffic mitigation plan is that we’re touching all areas of the city and areas that need relief and the people that I have talked to want relief and want to know that their area is also part of this relief process.”
Broome intends to bring her plan to the Metro Council, though she doesn’t technically need council approval to spend state road transfer credits, she says.
—Stephanie Riegel
