DOTD to improve safety along US 165 and Lonewa Road intersection in Ouachita Parish
Tuesday, May 07, 2024 at 12:30:22 PM
DOTD to improve safety along US 165 and Lonewa Road intersection in Ouachita Parish
MONROE – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announces a project to improve safety along the US 165 corridor at the Lonewa Road intersection in the Town of Sterlington, Ouachita Parish.
Construction is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 20, 2024, with necessary intermittent lane closures going into place. Read more about those here.
The purpose of the project is to install a number of measures that have been proven to improve the safety of certain intersections based on their geometry and the crash history at those locations.
The project includes removing the median on US 165 @ Lonewa Road, and converting Lonewa Road to a right in/right out only. Directional U-Turn openings will be built north and south of the intersection for those motorists wishing to turn left, along with turn lanes.
Directional U-Turn openings serve to restrict the left turns and crossover movements that can lead to serious right angle (t-bone) type crashes by eliminating those vehicle conflict points. To learn more about how to navigate a directional U-Turn, click here.
Additionally, bulb-outs will be striped at the directional U-Turns to accommodate the turning radius of larger vehicles to allow them to merge safely into traffic.
A virtual public meeting was held in 2021 to present to the community the proposed improvements. Another stakeholder meeting was held in 2022 to further communicate the plans for the project, and allow members of the community to ask questions.
The entire project is anticipated to be complete in late 2024, with progress dependent on weather conditions and other factors that can impact construction timelines.
Contact information:
Erin Buchanan
Public Information Officer
Monroe District
(318) 549-8402
erin.buchanan@la.gov