Livingston Parish committee forwards list of state road projects to transportation committee

The Livingston Parish Master Plan Review Committee voted on March 17 to send a comprehensive list of state highway capacity projects — including the long‑planned Juban Road extension and multiple Florida Boulevard widening segments — to the parish transportation committee for formal inclusion in the parish's transportation plan and the master plan update.

Gerald Burns, a member of the Master Plan Review Committee, introduced the item and described a multi‑year effort to compile state road projects within the parish's economic corridor. "What brought this about was in my conversations with Mister Jerome Fournay a couple weeks ago," Burns said, explaining that the list grew from three years of meetings with mayors, council members, the parish president and state legislators. Burns formally moved that the projects be put into the updated master plan, saying he wanted "WSP to put these road projects, all of them, in the updated master plan."

The committee discussed priorities, funding prospects and project status before voting. Committee members debated whether to reorder priorities (for example, placing the Juban Road extension first and the I‑12/4‑H Club Road interchange second) but a substitute motion to reorder failed for lack of a second. The committee then approved a motion to send the list to the transportation committee so it can be included in the formal transportation plan that will feed into the master plan. The motion passed on a voice vote: "All in favor? Aye," the chair called, and the item was recorded as passed.

The road list Burns presented identifies about 20 projects, many intended as four‑lane widenings or roundabouts. Key items named in the committee discussion included:

- Juban Road extension (described as a project that has been "hanging for about 15 years"). - Multiple Florida Boulevard segments to be widened to four lanes (sections cited: LA 16 to Dillon Spring/Hatcher Lane to Juban Road, Juban Road to Burgess Road, Burgess Road to Penobarus Lane, Pendergrass Lane to LA 447 in Walker, and LA 447 in Walker to the Woodside landfill). Lengths for several segments were given in the presentation (for example, 1.4 miles, 1.7 miles, 0.9 miles, and about 2.2 miles in different segments). - Widening of U.S. Highway 447 (Walker) south of I‑12 and related overpass work and roundabouts at Buddy Ellis Road. - An I‑12 interchange at 4‑H Club Road (westbound on/off ramps) and associated connector roads. - A proposed connector described as a limited‑access north‑south route linking LA 449 toward Highway 16 and to other regional corridors.

Committee members and staff said some projects are further along in engineering than others. A staff speaker reported that the LA 447 widening (project number 10 in the list) is in environmental clearance and that property surveys have been completed; the staff estimate was that, barring funding delays, that project could be two to three years out. Burns and others said Juban Road has active surveying and a topo corridor but that final design and utility work remain in progress; Burns also said the state directed that an overpass at the CN rail crossing will be required for Juban rather than an at‑grade crossing.

Funding and timing were recurring themes in discussion. Committee members noted capital outlay is the principal source for major capacity projects at the state level and that those funds are scarce. Burns said the parish received roughly $3 million in capital outlay in 2023 but none for some priority projects in 2024; he said a $500,000 feasibility request for the LA 449 interchange had been discussed but its status was unclear. The committee referenced a prior $300,000 study commissioned by the PRPC (Parish Regional Planning Commission) for the 4‑H Club Road interchange; committee members said they were unsure of that study's current status.

After debate the committee decided not to adopt a formal reprioritization at the meeting. Instead it passed the referral motion to send the compiled list to the transportation committee and to incorporate the items into the transportation plan that will be folded into the master plan update. Committee members said the transportation plan and the comprehensive master plan are being coordinated and that WSP (the consultant) has a July deadline to deliver the master plan update.

The vote and referral set the projects for further review by the transportation committee and for inclusion in the parish's draft transportation plan that will be presented to the master plan consultant for the July submittal.