Bumper to bumper: The Interstate 10 at I-110 junction in Baton Rouge is ranked as the 25th most congested bottleneck for freight traffic in the nation, according to a new report from the American Transportation Research Institute. The 2018 Top Ten Truck Bottleneck List, released Thursday, uses truck position and speed data to assess the level of freight congestion at 300 specific locations across the country. The average speed at the Baton Rouge junction is about 38.6 miles per hour. Congestion annually costs the trucking industry $63.4 billion. The No. 1 bottleneck is I-285 at I-85 North in Atlanta. See the full report.
More in store: In the coming months, BREC will unveil new amenities at three remodeled parks. On March 24, BREC will dedicate the newly-revamped North Sherwood Forest Community, highlighting amenities like a splash pad, fishing pond, tennis courts and a pavillion. On April 5, new amenities will be showcased at Howell Community, where the 18-hole golf course has been replaced with an amphitheater, walking and jogging track, fishing and paddling pond, adventure playground, multi-use athletic field and First Tee golf area. Also, a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on May 12 at the Baton Rouge Botanical Garden at Independence Community Park to highlight new walkways, a butterfly garden, parterre garden and fountain, and more.
On solid ground: The U.S. economy grew at a solid rate of 2.6% in the final three months of last year, helped by the fastest consumer spending since the spring of 2016 and a big rebound in home construction. The fourth quarter advance in the gross domestic product, the country’s total output of goods and services, followed gains of just above 3% in the second and third quarters. The Commerce Department says the slowdown in the October-December period reflected a worsening trade deficit and less growth in inventory restocking by companies. Read more.
