re: How many of you baws went to the public meeting last night about the new bridge?

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None of these options will provide a true bypass.

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Bluebonnet does which is why it makes the most sense (and it's the only one that's actually straight e-w.

It's the least shitty option imo

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What seems to be missing from all of these proposals is a large reduction in pass through traffic traveling through Baton Rouge.

None of these options will eliminate the freight trucks traveling cross country on I-10/12.

None of these options will provide a true bypass.

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There are 112,000 vehicles crossing the I-10 bridge every day, but only 50,000 vehicles per day on I-10 between the Lobdell and Grosse Tete exits. In other words, more than half of the vehicles crossing the bridge are entering and exiting the interstate in Port Allen. Only about 25% of the eastbound traffic from the bridge continues to I-12. There is no silver bullet that magically cuts I-10 bridge traffic in half.

It’s just funny to me how so many people completely dismiss a Plaquemine bridge because “it’s not a north loop, so it’s a waste of money.” We can build a bridge to the south and divert, I don’t know, maybe 20-25% of the current I-10 bridge traffic. That bridge can be partially financed via tolls. Or we can build a north loop that would also divert 20-25% of the bridge traffic, but cost 5x as much. Also, you can’t finance it with tolls because you are targeting pass-through traffic which is far less likely to use a toll road.

This idea that we need to get freight traffic off of the main interstate route to make way for commuters is a huge part of the reason Baton Rouge traffic is so fricked up in the first place - the entire mentality is backwards. The city has become WAY too reliant on the interstate for local traffic.