JEFFERSON PARISH – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announces construction of the $8.5 million Earhart at Dakin Ramp Connector project. The project will provide a new exit ramp from eastbound LA 3139/Earhart Expressway to US 90/Jefferson Highway in Jefferson Parish, just west of the Orleans Parish line near the 17th Street Canal.

The project will improve regional connectivity by providing drivers with an additional connection between two heavily traveled corridors. Earhart Expressway carries approximately 34,000 vehicles per day near the new ramp, while Jefferson Highway carries approximately 17,500 vehicles per day near where the ramp will connect to the surrounding roadway network.

DOTD is coordinating closely with Jefferson Parish, which is concurrently developing plans for traffic and roadway connections at Jefferson Highway. The state ramp and parish roadway improvements are separate but coordinated projects. The new connection will open to the public once both are completed.

Earhart Expressway was designed as a limited-access commuter route connecting the growing East Bank of Jefferson Parish with New Orleans. Developed in the 1960s and constructed in phases from the early 1970s through 1986, the corridor preserved opportunities for future or expanded connections as transportation needs evolved, including at Causeway Boulevard, in the Cleary Avenue/Airline Highway area and at Jefferson Highway.

Traffic analysis identified a connection to Jefferson Highway at Dakin Street as an opportunity to improve traffic flow on both sides of the parish line. Eastbound drivers currently have no exit between Clearview Parkway and the signalized section of Earhart Boulevard, where three lanes narrow to two and create a recurring morning bottleneck. The new ramp will provide an additional route before drivers reach that point, improving access to Jefferson Highway, the Ochsner medical campus, Causeway Boulevard and eastbound US 90 toward Carrollton Avenue.

The approximately $8.5 million project is funded through federal and state transportation funds, including federal funding allocated to the New Orleans metropolitan area for regional transportation improvements.

Although construction is underway, drivers and nearby residents may notice limited activity during the project’s early stages. Work is expected to become more visible later this fall as construction of the ramp structure progresses.