REMINDER: DOTD seeking input on proposed re-striping project for LA 840-6 (N. 18th St.), Ouachita Parish
Tuesday, December 08, 2020 at 9:25:48 AM

REMINDER: DOTD seeking input on proposed re-striping project for LA 840-6 (N. 18th St.), Ouachita Parish


REMINDER: The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development reminds the public that input is being sought for a proposed project to re-stripe a portion of LA 840-6 in Monroe, Ouachita Parish.

LA 840-6 (N. 18th Street) from US 80 (Louisville Ave.) to Forsythe Avenue (also LA 840-6) will be re-striped from a four-lane to a five-lane configuration with a two-way center left turn lane and reduced lane widths.

The purpose of the project is to improve traffic flow and safety through the corridor. There is a large number of driveways in this section, and left turners are often stopped in the travel lane.

DOTD has also received multiple requests for protected left turn arrows at the signalized intersections along the corridor, though those haven’t met the required warrants. Once the two-way left turn lane is added, the signals will be re-evaluated and protected left turn arrows may be warranted under the five-lane configuration at some locations.

Other options for re-configuration were evaluated, but the five-lane configuration optimizes both traffic capacity and safety along this corridor.

A traffic safety analysis was also conducted. The analysis showed that re-striping the roadway to add a center turn lane would potentially reduce crashes by nearly 30%. Traffic engineering decisions like these are considered a low-cost safety improvement and a prudent use of safety funding.

Please click here to visit the DOTD project page for more information and visual descriptions of the proposed re-striping.

You can provide feedback by emailing the following DOTD personnel:

- Natalie Sistrunk (District Traffic Operations Engineer) – natalie.sistrunk@la.gov
- Bridget Skinner (Asst. District Traffic Operations Engineer) – bridget.skinner@la.gov
- Erin Buchanan (Public Information Officer) – erin.buchanan@la.gov

You may also provide a comment by calling (318) 342-0105 or (318) 342-0124.

All comments should be received by Friday, December 18, 2020, and will be reviewed and taken into consideration by the project team.