DOTD proposes to improve US 51 Business between LA 22 in Ponchatoula and the intersection with Club Deluxe Road (a distance of 2.59 miles) in southern Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Improvements to US 51 Business just north of the Club Deluxe Road intersection (north to I-12) are currently under construction.
The project corridor has seen an increasing amount of development along its length, including new residential subdivisions, retail stores (including a new Walmart), and continued development associated with the North Oaks Medical Center.
US 51 Business in the project corridor is almost entirely a three-lane section, with the only exception being the bridge over Ponchatoula Creek, which is only two lanes. Ponchatoula Creek is the only water body crossed by the project route. The project proposes to improve the route along the existing highway through traffic studies and consideration of alternatives such as widening and/or intersection improvements along the entire length. The existing right-of-way width along the highway is typically 80 feet, and to widen the existing route will require approximately 180 feet of additional right-of-way for the majority of the route, mostly to the west. At Ponchatoula Creek, if widening is chosen, an additional 240 feet is anticipated to provide two new bridges to replace the existing single bridge.
Project alternatives will be further developed through the use of various engineering designs, such as: use of varying median widths, use of curb and gutter versus paved shoulder, use of subsurface drainage vs. existing ditch/swale drainage, use of different types of water crossings, and different types of intersection improvements (roundabouts, signalized intersections, j-turns), etc. Any combination of these, and possibly others that may be developed, will be considered in an effort to avoid or minimize environmental, social and economic impacts, while improving traffic flow. The proposed project is currently in the early planning/design stage.