Collins Boulevard Overpass opens in St. Tammany Parish after $37 million first phase
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Summary
The first of four phases of the Collins Boulevard Overpass in St. Tammany Parish opened, officials said, delivering widened lanes, shoulders and safety improvements as part of a roughly $37 million investment intended to ease chronic congestion along the I‑12 corridor; local leaders said more phases and funding are planned.
A newly expanded section of the Collins Boulevard Overpass in St. Tammany Parish opened to traffic, officials at a ribbon-cutting said, completing the first of four planned phases in a project they described as a roughly $37 million investment to relieve severe congestion on the I‑12 corridor.
Speaker 2, an unidentified speaker at the event, called it “a momentous day” and said the segment has been long awaited by residents of the fast-growing North Shore. Speaker 3, also unidentified, said Louisiana firms worked with the DOTD team to deliver the work and explicitly acknowledged engineers T Baker Smith and Crescent and contractor Beau Brothers.
The project replaced a two-lane crossing over the Bogue Falaya that officials described as a primary choke point and now provides a four-lane alignment, widened shoulders, added drainage work and traffic-safety improvements. Speaker 3 said the corridor carries about 50,000 vehicles and characterized the work as "over $37,000,000 in investment." Speaker 7 said early social-media reports and local comments indicated drive-time reductions in the range of 15 to 25 minutes, and officials highlighted targeted improvements at Lee Road that have removed traffic from the former bottleneck.
Speaker 4 said the St. Tammany delegation prioritized returning funding to the parish and described the project as the first of several in the pipeline; no specific additional funding sources or dates for later phases were announced at the event. Speakers tied the project to broader efforts to reorganize regional transportation planning and to reduce daily commuting congestion.
The ribbon-cutting program emphasized local contractors and DOTD collaboration; no formal votes or actions were recorded at the event. Organizers said they expect the remaining phases of Collins Boulevard widening to proceed as funding becomes available.
Organizers closed the ceremony by saying the project’s completion demonstrated what can be accomplished when agencies and local firms work together, and they urged continued support for forthcoming infrastructure work in the parish.
