I-10 Frontage Roads and Interchange

Client: City of Baton Rouge

Not to be too technical about it, but the major engineering challenge on the I-10 Frontage Roads and Interchange Project is that it’s a tight squeeze. ABMB engineers figured out how to make a lot happen in a relatively small space, while meeting the design criteria of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and the Federal Highway Administration.

Of course, something had to be done. “Congestion on Bluebonnet Boulevard at the I-10 interchange had reached the point that it was difficult to move traffic on and off interstate,” notes Gary Heitman, project manager for highways. “A relatively high proportion of these motorists were just taking the interstate one exit to Siegen Lane.”

ABMB did the traffic study for the project that helped planners understand these issues. As the project moved forward we continued to play a central role. In addition to the roadway and structural design, we were responsible for everything from the right-of-way mapping and wetland and environmental mitigation studies to the topography, utility, and boundary surveys right through preliminary and final design and construction administration.

The heart of our solution was connecting Picardy Avenue to a new frontage road system that we designed between the Bluebonnet and Siegen interchanges. This relieved some of the pressure on Bluebonnet and kept the local traffic off the interstate.

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