Complaining about traffic has become a rite of passage in Baton Rouge. It used to be a fanciful joke. For example, if you spend more time on College [Drive] than you did in college [probably LSU or Southern University], then you must be from Baton Rouge.
But that line sprouted up years before the entire city became a gridlocked mass of confusion and frustration. Just try driving anywhere at 5 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. Or, if you’re really up for a test of patience, attempt to navigate west on Interstate 10 when there are two Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the top five nationally playing in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night.
If all of this isn’t enough to make your blood boil, then wrap your head around the fact that the situation is getting worse, at least according to one U.S. survey. The most recent Inrix National Traffic Scorecard, an annual report of traffic congestion, found that drivers nationwide spent 13 fewer hours cooling their heels on pavement last year as compared to 2007, which is great news nationally. But in Baton Rouge, that trend was bucked as local drivers saw an overall 6% increase in traffic congestion.
In simple, unabashed terms, we’re a mess. Baton Rouge is home to six of the nation’s 1,000 worst bottlenecks, the survey found; not surprisingly, all of them are connected to the city’s interstate systems.
There is, however, good news: a number of projects are under way to help improve the situation. Elected officials have heard the clarion call, Mayor Kip Holden has expended significant political capital seeking a large-scale solution and transportation is just about the only issue that members of the Capital Region Legislative Delegation can agree on.
Of course, there is a caveat: Most of the projects are mired in bureaucratic turmoil; some are linked to federal funds, others are connected to a state budget that’s suffering from a shortfall. At least one effort will have to pass muster with voters, and essentially everything has to be channeled through the political process. Moreover, there’s a continuing debate over the value of mass transit in a city that isn’t equipped to handle its regular pedestrian traffic.
Mayor Kip Holden’s $901 million capital-improvements package, which was defeated by East Baton Rouge Parish voters on Nov. 14, included a section that would synchronize traffic lights—a plan the Baton Rouge Area Chamber contended would save the average commuter nearly $9 per month in gas. As such, opponents and proponents of the bond issue wonder why it couldn’t have been treated separately, independent from the proposed economic-development projects.
Matt McKay, BRAC’s board chairman, says the proposals work hand-in-hand. “Once our board had an opportunity to learn about the specifics of each component, we felt that the initiative has been sensibly thought through, and we have confidence in the proposals as designed,” he says. “Perhaps most important of all, the BRAC board felt it is time for Baton Rouge to chart a bold course for its future.”
Perhaps just as controversial is the concept of a passenger-rail system running from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, a project that has been rejected by Gov. Bobby Jindal. Such a service is expected to cost approximately $18 million annually to operate, in addition to about $300 million in capital costs for the purchase of trains, rights of way and other needs. Earlier, Rep. Steve Carter, R-Baton Rouge, sent a letter to the governor asking him not to give up completely.
Dawn Starns, executive director of the Capital Region Legislative Delegation, says the administration was receptive to the plea and has agreed to allow the delegation to form a committee to further explore feasibility issues and costs. “[Chief of Staff Timmy Teepell] responded to our letter in support of putting the working group together, so we’re working on getting people lined up for that,” she says.
The Capital Area Transit System, meanwhile, has suffered cuts on the state level because of a revised funding formula that basically penalizes transit systems that do not have a local contribution. But Starns says the delegation is working with the state Department of Transportation and Development to make a new allotment of $150,000 available to CATS during the current fiscal year.
On the horizon, delegation representatives will travel to Washington, D.C., in January to visit with Louisiana’s congressional members to not only discuss transportation priorities, but to also get a handle on the possibility of another stimulus package. “We understand that the [first] federal stimulus was largely aimed at road projects, and if there is any second round of federal stimulus for transportation that may be aimed at mass transit, we want to be sure we are ready to go after any available funds—if it makes sense,” Starns says.
As for the much-ballyhooed Baton Rouge Loop, supporters are still trying to find $15 million for the second phase of the environmental-impact study. Work is also being conducted to narrow the design down to a single corridor. Thus far, the proposed crossing near the U.S. 190 bridge corridor has been eliminated and a new crossing just south of Addis is now being considered, along with crossings north of Addis and one between Plaquemine and St. Gabriel. As much media and public comment as the project has received, it still has significant challenges to overcome.
Other important projects, though, are progressing. Proposals on the widening of I-10 are due back, and the $60 million project running from Siegen Lane to Highland Road could be under way by December. Proposals for the I-12 widening are expected to arrive by January. Jindal also directed an additional $7 million to the I-12 widening project—bringing total funding in 2009 for I-12 to $31 million. While the ongoing I-12 project will reach Juban Road, officials still are seeking dollars to reach Walker.
Additionally, the federal fight for money to construct a new I-10 interchange at Pecue Lane looks promising, officials say, and the environmental study is moving forward. Within the next two years, O’Neal Lane will also be widened near Florida Boulevard; La. Highway 620 in West Baton Rouge and Skip Bertman Drive will be overlayed; and the Tickfaw River and Amite River bridges will be upgraded.
Two years might sound like a long time, especially when you’re sitting in afternoon traffic on College Drive, but it is a sign of progress. It’s likewise an indication that Baton Rouge locals may have to find something else—one day, in the not-so-immediate future—to complain about, besides traffic.
