re: Mandeville to Madisonville traffic is out of control these days

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I stand corrected. I honestly still don’t remember it being a major issue (it obviously was, I just don’t recall it being that overwhelming). Just out of curiosity, do you remember which subdivisions were built in 1994?

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Truth be known - I'm a relative newcomer but have taken an interest in the traffic drama - hence the research. Here's a more comprehensive, historical look at the core issue (January 2005) that's been referenced throughout this and other threads on the topic. The article is 16 years old but it serves to show just how far the can has been kicked down the road.

St. Tammany is a victim of economic growth (2005)

St. Tammany is a victim of economic growth - St. Tammany News
(Covington, LA) - January 31, 2005
January 31, 2005 | St. Tammany News (Covington, LA)

"According to a report in this newspaper, St. Tammany Parish President, Kevin Davis, has "unveiled s 10-year $1 billion infrastructure plan to handle the burden of future population growth in the Parish." How all this will be financed is not quite clear, but President Davis does his home work on such matters and he will handle that problem. We should be thankful he is planning now for a population growth in the Parish that is expected to reach 245,000 by the year 2010. In the meantime, I just hope we don't become victims of all this population and economic growth. Consider this. Mandeville has cleared the way for building a large Rouses Market on the East Causeway Approach. I have nothing against Rouses Market, and the store in Covington probably has made a positive economic impact in that area. And I'm sure city planners are hoping the store does the same for the Mandeville area. What concerns me, though, is that this development opens the door for more commercial development on the East Causeway Approach. It won't be long before it will look just like the West Causeway Approach that now is rapidly becoming the Veteran's Boulevard of St. Tammany. T he West Causeway Approach stretches for a little over two miles from Highway 22 to the Causeway bridge. Within this two miles, there are 26 cuts into the southbound roadway and 21 in the northbound that access three schools, residential subdivisions, commercial developments and a school zone speed limit of 25 MPH that is in force during rush hour traffic. What started out as an easy access road to the Causeway Bridge is now an avenue of denuded pine and oak trees that have been replaced by concrete with hundreds of parked cars making for a nightmarish adventure for commuters and other travelers. Then consider this. The St. Tammany Parish Council recently rescinded the moratorium on development along Highway 22 from Mandeville to Madisonville. That's all we need. More traffic on a road that is already over choked with too many cars and trucks. And with all the current development on Highway 190 and north of Covington, the traffic relief we now enjoy on this road with be short lived. When this planet was created, there was a master plan to provide a balanced environment---so many trees to absorb carbon monoxide and produce oxygen, enough water to make sure living things could grow and pure breathable air. A gallon jug will only hold a gallon of water. Trying to pour more into the jug will only cause a mess with the overflow. Similarly, this patch work and unrestrained development is causing our environment and quality of life to overflow into an abyss from which they may never return. All this means is that we really are becoming a victim of population and economic growth, not the beneficiaries. Along with this, we are being strangled by urban sprawl that is caused by poorly planned development that spreads out from urban areas, causing increased traffic, pollution, and taxes. We have urban sprawl right here in St. Tammany. Except for developers and some businesses, it is doubtful if anything good comes from urban sprawl. But government officials and economic planners in the Parish keep touting St. Tammany as one of the fastest growing areas in the state. "Bigger" is the mantra. But this economic and population growth is causing a financial burden on most of our citizens. It's certainly not making the greater majority of us richer and more prosperous. Just take a look at your recent property tax bill, for example. Then, there is the extra burden on the Parish infrastructure--- roads, utilities, drainage, schools, safety and emergency medical services that according to President Davis is going to take a lot of money to keep pace with the Parish's anticipated growth. Apparently, the economic benefit from all this development is not sufficient to provide the additional needed services right now. That's the reason the Parish is tagging an impact fee on to all building permits and this cost, of course, will be passed on to customers. But these fees won't stop this uncontrolled land development. Some sanity must prevail in order to stop the rape of our environment because the natural beauty and quality of life that St. Tammany offers are being diminished. Of course property owners have the right to develop their property. But, there is a long standing principle of law that states if some speech or action results in a clear and present danger to the public, then government has an obligation to cause that speech or action to cease. It just seems to me that the rampant residential and commercial development taking place, often approved by planning and zoning commissions over the objections of citizens, present a clear and present danger to our environment. Unabated, this reckless land use will become even more of a danger to the generations that follow us. So, until President Davis gets all that infrastructure improved, for most of us, all this growth has done is give us probably the largest minimum wage jobs in the state, dangerous traffic congestion, high levels of air pollution, higher property taxes, more expensive living, concrete replacing the pine and oak trees, and an increase in major crimes."

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Truth be known - I'm a relative newcomer but have taken an interest in the traffic drama - hence the research.

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Cool beans. I appreciate the research. My recollection wasn’t as dire as what was noted in the newspaper about Madisonville back in the day. I’m not saying that it wasn’t true, but since they were lobbying the state looking for much needed funding, I will simply suggest that it may have been embellished a tad. I know/knew most of the people in the article and they are / were good people. They were simply looking out for their neighbors.

If going north didnt have a choke point from the 70s id move to folsom.

The bridge in covington over the river has needed to be widened since it was built.

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The post-Katrina collapse of Baton Rouge. None of us saw BR devolving the way it did and people seeking shelter in St. Tammany's school system.

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Interesting. I’ve always known BR folks to move out to Ascension and Livingston Parish. Never to St. Tammany. Always figured the vast majority of the migration into STP was from Orleans, St Bernard and Jefferson parishes.

Exactly.

The damage is already done. The government needs to embrace and quit trying to keep the small town mindset. We are fricking NewO north. That medical center they wanted to put on off of 21 is a prime example. If you are going to build let it be job producing good paying companies, not more strip malls.

Counting down the days until we are out of here. Sad to see what it has become.

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Mandeville to Madisonville traffic is out of control these days
Something needs to be done about it

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just looked at the traffic map app out of curiosity
gridlock both north and south bound on 190 to westbound I12

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And in closing, I'd like to say that I'm thankful we don't have to worry about the hurricane evacuation routes when all the traffic decides to bug out at the same time. Thankful...

I found out yesterday that the Parish is releasing the Ochsner Blvd to 1077 tie-in for bidding in the near future. This is the roadway that had the public up in arms about the proposed Medline project last year.

I can't wait to see what developments will pop up once the road is tied in.

Sorry, took my yacht out of the storage facility. Then T-Boy fell asleep after he raised the bridge for me to pass.

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I found out yesterday that the Parish is releasing the Ochsner Blvd to 1077 tie-in for bidding in the near future. This is the roadway that had the public up in arms about the proposed Medline project last year.

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Thatll be a good thing.

The medline center was not a good thing in that area.

The parish should have tried to push them east to lacombe area between 1088 and 434 or even further. Plenty of open land out there for a large distribution facility.

Tangipahoa came in and swept that project with quickness.

Friday was ridiculous and it did not matter where you went. 59 was a cluster frick in the morning and again starting around 215 -230 and into rush hour( I'm guessing Fountainbleau HS but they are done totally by 300) There was a monumental backup on Causeway/190 onto 12 and 22 was ridiculous at 1230 -100 on. You were fricked whichever way.

59 needs to go to 4 lanes, the circles have made NO difference and 12/ 190 needs to be reimagined because it is a cluster frick 7 frickin days a week