BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) – Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) completed construction for the Government Street Road Diet project in East Baton Rouge Parish.
The project turned Government Street into one lane of travel in each direction, added a two-way-left-turn in the center along with bike lanes, and raised dividers. The road also includes sidewalks and ramps that are approved by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
Photo by Vannia Joseph.
Photo by Vannia Joseph.
“The Government Street corridor lies in the heart of our community – the safety improvements, ADA enhancements, and bicycle lanes make this roadway a safer place for all,” said Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. “Our residents, commuters, and tourists will benefit from this work for years to come.”
“This project has turned this corridor into a multimodal corridor,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson.
The intersection was replaced with a roundabout at Government Street, Lobdell Avenue, and Independence Park Boulevard.
“Safety is always our number one priority, which is why this road diet was implemented,” Wilson said. “With more than 18,000 motorists traveling this corridor daily, this project will reduce crashes by 25%, making this multimodal corridor much safer for our motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.”
The project cost $11.7 million and was started in January 2018 by Barber Bros. Wilson, Broome, and other local officials announced the project’s completion on Saturday.
Photo by Vannia Joseph.
“It was our hope that this project would contribute to the economic revitalization of this area, and I believe it has,” Wilson said.