Elevated LA 1 work ongoing

Improvements to the proposed elevated highway between Golden Meadow and Leeville could soon begin, with LA1 Coalition Executive Director Henri Boulet reporting that a large portion of the funding for the initial phase of construction for the first segment has been secured in the state capital outlay process.

The final segment of the elevation project will run approximately 8.3 miles, beginning near the Apache Dock in Golden Meadow and connecting with the Leeville Overpass.

The project is being built in segments, allowing contractors to move equipment and materials on the finished portion, thus saving expenses.

The first segment runs from the Apache Dock approximately 3,400 feet south. It will cost $46 million to construct, $40 million of which is included in the state’s capital outlay construction budget. Boulet said the balance will come from other sources.

Two additional segments – the longest of which runs six miles, mostly through marshland – will cost $215 to build. The final one-mile segment to link with the Leeville Overpass will cost $60 million.

Funding for constructing these segments has not yet been secured. However, Boulet said design and engineering work is proceeding in anticipation of securing money. “We’re trying to have everything in place to move along as quickly as possible,” he said.

By mid-August workers will begin widening, resurfacing and mooring the shoulders of La. Highway 1 south of Port Fourchon to the Jefferson Parish line, according to Boulet. The highway sustained more than 20 cuts during Hurricane Isaac last year. The repair work is expected to take between 60 and 90 days to complete.

Meanwhile, to avoid summer delays, the state Department of Transportation and Development has manned collection booths with toll takers at the south end of the overpass. Boulet said the toll takers will be on the job 24 hours a day through Labor Day.