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re: Acadian Thruway underpass flooding - why not solved?
Posted on 5/11/26 at 10:59 pm to fr33manator
Posted on 5/11/26 at 10:59 pm to fr33manator
quote:
just can't for the life of me figure out why they would have an underpass there...
According to Grok…
quote:
Acadian Thruway (LA 427) in Baton Rouge has a railroad underpass (road goes under the tracks via a bridge/overpass for the railroad), not a standard at-grade intersection or road-over-rail overpass.60
This setup exists because the Kansas City Southern (KCS) railroad line predates the modern road configuration in that area. Railroads often have priority/eminent domain rights in such cases, making it more practical and cheaper historically to build or modify a structure that lets the road pass underneath rather than rerouting or elevating the tracks extensively.71
Key Historical Details
• Built around 1966: Prior to the South Acadian railroad underpass, there was a different configuration (possibly involving a trestle or at-grade crossing). The underpass was constructed to separate the road and rail traffic safely.45
• The railroad was there first in many parts of Baton Rouge, so infrastructure decisions favored accommodating or minimally disrupting the tracks. Raising or moving rails can be complex and expensive due to grades, signals, and operations.71
Recent Work and Why It Stays This Way
• In recent years (around 2022–2023), KCS and Louisiana DOTD raised the railroad bridge ~4 feet (from about 14’3” clearance) and replaced parts of it. This improved vertical clearance for taller vehicles/trucks and allowed for future road widening (e.g., related to Perkins Road area changes).60
• The road is prone to flooding in heavy rains because it’s in a low spot under the bridge—another reason major elevation changes are challenging.71
This is a common U.S. setup where rail lines cross urban roads: grade separation is preferred for safety (especially with freight trains), and the underpass for the higher-volume or more flexible road is often the engineering/economic choice. There isn’t a single “normal crossing” alternative that would have been straightforward given the existing rail alignment, urban density, and costs.58
If you’re asking about a specific spot (North vs. South Acadian) or have more details/photos, I can dig further!
3
Posted on 5/11/26 at 11:01 pm to SlapahoeTribe
I thought the sarcasm in my posts was obvious
Posted on 5/11/26 at 11:09 pm to SlapahoeTribe
quote:
I can dig further!
Nice
Posted on 5/11/26 at 11:19 pm to lsuwins3
quote:
They did fix it years ago. It used to flood on very little rain. Friday’s rain was a massive amount in a short amount of time. We had flooding in areas of BR that rarely flood. Man hole covers were popping up on roads we were driving on.
I saw pictures where water was covering the roads over closer to TJ Ribs. Not as deep obviously as the underpass but covering the roads on that side of the interstate
Posted on 5/11/26 at 11:21 pm to SlapahoeTribe
That’s fine and all but how does this bitch drain AFTER flooding? A pump? A culvert? fricking evaporation?
Posted on 5/12/26 at 7:27 am to UptownJoeBrown
Just take the loop.
Posted on 5/12/26 at 7:40 am to UptownJoeBrown
quote:
What’s the solution?
'Lil baby Elon Tunnel!
Posted on 5/12/26 at 8:05 am to fr33manator
quote:
They should probably flatten it out and just make it a railroad crossing, right?
They'd have a weekly train collision. I can't explain why it would only happen there, but..... Baton Rouge
Posted on 5/12/26 at 8:07 am to UptownJoeBrown
As part of the interstate widening project extra pumps will be installed as well as retention ponds.
Posted on 5/12/26 at 8:35 am to LouisianaLady
quote:
Did this one flood years ago? I deal with it all the time now, but I don't recall that being such a thing 10 years ago.
Yes, always has. If it rains a lot in a short period of time, Burbank near Nicholson is flooded over to the point where most cars can't get through it. Makes no sense.
Posted on 5/12/26 at 8:38 am to fr33manator
quote:
The issue is where to pump the water to?
Dawson Creek is 250' away. There is plenty of space around there for detention basins to offset any peak flow and lessen downstream and upstream effects. Pumps and basins are civil engineering 101. There's already a pump there on the NE corner of the bridge, but it sucks.
The city has had a few chances to lessen runoff into that dip. When they re-did Acadian-Perkins Plaza and also Acadian Village (or whatever it's called where the Trader Joes is), the city could have required better runoff controls from those properties, but they didn't. I know because I did some drainage impact studies for for those places like 15-20 years ago.
EBR sucks all-around at stormwater control. You'd think a flat city with one of the highest rainfall totals in the US would do something about, but they just sit there while it floods and go, "we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas."
Posted on 5/12/26 at 8:39 am to UptownJoeBrown
A simple float sensor that would drop gates when it reaches a certain height
Posted on 5/12/26 at 8:44 am to UptownJoeBrown
Its this area and the area on burbank by walkons that will always flood when we have continuous rain. Also you will always see cars flooded in the area by walkons. Been seeing this since I was in college 10 plus years ago.
Posted on 5/12/26 at 8:50 am to UptownJoeBrown
Contractor friend told me that the pump station at Acadian and the RR track was completely rebuilt about 5 years ago and it is top of the line fully automated.
He also told me that the drain pipe pumps the water into Dawson creek and when the water fills the creek the end of the pipe is completely submerged and has difficulty pumping the water out. Dawson Creek needs to be widened so that it can carry more rain water.
He also told me that the drain pipe pumps the water into Dawson creek and when the water fills the creek the end of the pipe is completely submerged and has difficulty pumping the water out. Dawson Creek needs to be widened so that it can carry more rain water.
Posted on 5/12/26 at 8:51 am to UptownJoeBrown
Bluebonnet underpass as well. People have actually drowned in that one.
Posted on 5/12/26 at 8:54 am to UptownJoeBrown
quote:
What's the solution?
Posted on 5/12/26 at 9:01 am to UptownJoeBrown
It's not nearly the issue it used to be. It maybe floods once a year these days, and it requires the amount of crazy amount of rain we have gotten in the past couple of days.
It used to flood 3 times a month it seemed like.
It used to flood 3 times a month it seemed like.
Posted on 5/12/26 at 9:02 am to UptownJoeBrown
Anyone that has lived in Baton Rouge knows someone that has sunk a vehicle there.
I had the pleasure of having two different roommates float a car
One was a ford Taurus and the other Lincoln LS
RIP in Peace
I once had a Dodge Dakota 5 speed manual V8 that wouldn’t be denied!! 4ft of sewer water wasn’t stopping Baw
I had the pleasure of having two different roommates float a car
One was a ford Taurus and the other Lincoln LS
RIP in Peace
I once had a Dodge Dakota 5 speed manual V8 that wouldn’t be denied!! 4ft of sewer water wasn’t stopping Baw
Posted on 5/12/26 at 9:15 am to UptownJoeBrown
quote:
So there is a pump there?
There is a pump there, however the pump needed to remove 4 inches in 30 minutes would be overkill, incredible expensive to purchase and maintain - tax payers would lose their mind if they saw the cost for something used 5-10 times a year.
So sometimes when there is flash flooding - by definition it inundates and area for a short period of time. When you live in an area that is at or just above sea level - flooding is an even bigger issue.
That said, Acadian Thruway should have never been built that low in teh first place but they were too cheap to fill it in.
This post was edited on 5/12/26 at 9:17 am
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