In the News

http://www.wbrz.com/news/light-operational-at-dangerous-addis-intersection/
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http://theadvocate.com/news/westside/2016715-123/temporary-traffic-signa...

http://www.nbc33tv.com/news/local-news/community-continues-to-fight-dotd...

http://theadvocate.com/home/1948225-125/residents-reject-redesign.html

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Temporary traffic signal for dangerous intersection Westside bureau

February 09, 2012
2 Comments ADDIS — The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced Wednesday it will install a temporary traffic signal at the intersection of La. 1 and Sugar Plantation Parkway, a crossing where three people died last year.

DOTD originally rejected installing a traffic signal at that location, planning instead to redesign the intersection by adding J-turns, or two dedicated lanes along the median for drivers to use for turning onto La. 1.

Jodi Conachen, the agency’s director of communications, previously said red lights are traffic control devices, and would only reduce wrecks by 5 percent, while J-turns would address public safety — the state’s most pressing concern — and reduce collisions at an estimated rate of 20 percent.

Several of the estimated 1,000 people living in nearby Sugar Mill Plantation subdivision, however, fought back against the J-turn plan. They circulated a petition, started the “Red Light for Sugarmill” Facebook page and scheduled a community meeting to discuss how to persuade the state to install a traffic signal at the busy intersection.

Sugar Mill resident Josh Hinton, 28, one of the organizers of the Facebook page, called Wednesday’s announcement a welcome sign.

“I’m just glad that our voices were heard,” he said.

But the J-turn plan is not dead.

Conachen said DOTD is still moving forward with the dedicated turn lanes and would also build a frontage road extending from Sugar Mill Parkway to Lukeville Road.

A local developer, she added, has agreed to build an additional road toward the back of Sugar Mill as part of the plan.

“This development is stifled by having only one exit,” Conachen said. “It’s a pressing need for the community to have more access points so people don’t have to use the main line just to go a couple of blocks.”

The traffic signal should be installed within the next two or three months once DOTD can work out the timing of the red light with the traffic barriers installed at a nearby railroad crossing, she said.

J-turn construction, which was scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, is now supposed to be finished in two years, she said.

The delay is necessary, she explained, because adding the frontage road to the plan requires the state to acquire property and conduct feasibility, environmental and design studies.

While that construction is in the works, DOTD will simultaneously study the entire La. 1 corridor for potential improvements to a highway used daily by an estimated 40,000 drivers, she said.

That study should be finished within 12 to 18 months.

“That area is growing,” Conachen said. “We will be looking at where other traffic signals, J-turns and frontage roads may or may not be warranted.”

The outcome of that study, she said, would determine whether the traffic signal at La. 1 and Sugar Plantation Parkway is a permanent fixture, as many residents want, or the temporary adjustment DOTD announced Wednesday.

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OPEN HOUSE MEETING TO DISCUSS INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS AT LA1/SUGAR PLANTATION PARKWAY

BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD)
will hold an open-house meeting to discuss the upcoming intersection improvements at
the LA 1/Sugar Plantation Parkway intersection in Addis, LA.
The meeting will be held at the Addis YMCA, 3688 Sugar Plantation Parkway on January
25, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
This open-house style meeting is designed to allow participants the opportunity to
speak to DOTD representatives throughout the evening at several stations. Each
station will focus on a specific aspect of the project, and people can ask questions
and receive information. The meeting will allow the public to learn more about the
project and to sign-up to receive future e-mail updates about the project.
This project plan is to re-design the intersection with J-turns that will improve
safety and help traffic flow. Additionally, the movement of the J-turns reduces the
likelihood of crashes, especially severe crashes such as side-collisions. You can
find more information about J-turns at the DOTD J-turn
page.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is committed to
delivering transportation and public works systems that enhance the quality of life.
In addition to more than 16,600 miles of roadway, including over 890 miles of
interstate, DOTD supports the development of the state's aviation, marine and rail
infrastructures. Through this work, we are able to facilitate economic development,
create job opportunities, improve vital evacuation routes, and make critical freight
corridors safer and more efficient.
For more information, please visit www.dotd.la.gov, email
dotdcs@la.gov, or call DOTD's Customer Service Center at (225)
379-1232 or 1-877-4LADOTD (1-877-452-3683). Business hours are 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday.
Motorists can access up-to-date travel information by dialing 511 or by visiting
www.511la.org. Out of-state travelers can call 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511)
www.dotd.la.gov

OTHER LINKS CONCERNING SUGAR PLANTATION PARKWAY/LA 1

http://theadvocate.com/home/1820680-125/changes-slated-for-addis-interse...

http://theadvocate.com/news/opinion/1847114-123/letter-j-turn-versus-lig...

http://www.wbrz.com/news/addis-citizens-sound-off-over-j-turn/#.TyHMld21...

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Addis Volunteer Fire Department 50th Annual Parade
Sunday, February 12, 2012
First Street
11:00 am
Band following Parade:

Foret Tradition
at the
Addis Historic Park and Museum Pavilion

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Article about the Railroad in Addis

http://theadvocate.com/home/1788910-125/150-years-on-the-rails.html