DOTD holds groundbreaking ceremony for I-12 ramp improvements in Mandeville
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at 4:04:28 PM
Mandeville, LA – Today, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development District Administrator Allison Schilling was joined by local elected officials at Covenant Church in Mandeville for a ceremonial groundbreaking to kick off a $1.4 million project to improve the I-12 ramps at the U.S. 190 interchange.
Schilling said, "This much needed project is another in a series of improvements to the I-12 and U.S. 190 corridors in the Covington and Mandeville areas. Once completed, it will greatly improve the safety and efficiency for eastbound vehicles exiting I-12 by providing a longer auxiliary lane on I-12 and a double exit that will better facilitate the movement of vehicles wanting to go north into Covington, or south into Mandeville."
I-12 parallels and crosses U.S. 190 connecting the cities and towns of the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. This project furthers the efforts to improve the U.S. 190 corridor in St. Tammany Parish and is a continuation of the U.S. 190 southbound auxiliary lane constructed from I-12 to Fairway Drive.
The project will extend the existing ramp, which carries more than 17,800 vehicles daily, a total of 1750 linear feet to create more vehicle storage and prevent ramp traffic from backing up onto the interstate. Secondly, the project will create a dual lane exit to split U.S. 190 northbound traffic and U.S. 190 southbound traffic to increase traffic flow. The project will also replace all informational/directional signage and overhead truss signs within the limits of the project.
Construction of the project began this week with surveying of the site, which will be followed by pile driving for the installation of the sign footings – weather permitting. The project, awarded to Diamond B. Construction, LLC, is scheduled to be complete in the spring of 2014. DOTD received approximately $1.3 million in federal funding towards the project as part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program.
The area around this segment has been rapidly developing over the years and new businesses have increased the amount of traffic, which warranted the development of the project.
Sen. Jack Donahue (District 11) said, "Projects like this are about more than transportation. Infrastructure improvements like this enhance public safety and commerce, contributing to the effectiveness of government and first responders while providing our business community with an additional incentive for clients and customers. I’m pleased to see this effort come to fruition."
"I appreciate DOTD's efforts to continually upgrade the transportation system in St. Tammany, including main arteries such as Highway 190 and I-12, particularly the safety aspects for its residents," said Rep. Tim Burns (District 89)."
Once completed, approximately 115,000 vehicles per day will benefit from these upgrades in the area of the U.S. 190 interchange.