Essen Lane keeps getting bigger

File photo

The Capital City is embracing urban planning buzzwords like “road diets” and “traffic calming.” The proof: the Government Street redesign and its adoption of a “Complete Streets” policy. One major artery in south Baton Rouge, though, just gets bigger and bigger.

An Essen Lane widening project began this spring. The first phase is adding two new turning lanes underneath the I-10 overpass. Phase two will expand Essen between Perkins Road and the Wards Creek bridge from five lanes with a center turning lane to six lanes with a center turning lane.

Jonathan Charbonnet, project manager for the city-parish’s Green Light Plan, says that while the push to widen Essen predates the Complete Streets policy, designers must still apply the policy’s objectives. That means improved sidewalks for parts of the road, although the city obtained a waiver to forego sidewalks underneath the interstate because there isn’t enough space.

With continued growth of medical complexes in the area and a road that sees more than 55,000 cars a day, space is definitely at a premium.

STREET VIEW

A driver’s view of the street configuration at two points along Essen Lane. Illustrations created for 225 using the online tool Streetmix. For detailed official renderings of the project, go to dotd.la.gov.

PHASE 1 – Essen Lane Under I-10

BEFORE