Traffic detour nearly quintuples on Horseshoe Island Road after Highway 36 bridge work; parish rolls out signage, shoulder repairs
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Summary
After a Highway 36 bridge closure, parish traffic counts on Horseshoe Island Road rose from about 355 to about 1,888 average daily trips, officials said; the parish refreshed no-through-truck signage, added chevrons, and plans shoulder stabilization and coordination with enforcement while longer-term fixes await the state bridge project.
A state bridge repair on Highway 36 has diverted large volumes of traffic onto Horseshoe Island Road, creating safety and roadway-deterioration concerns for local residents, St. Tammany Parish officials said on Monday.
"Before the Bridge Road closure on 36, you were looking at, 355 average daily trips for Horseshoe Island Road," Daniel, a parish engineering/public-works staff member, told the council. "When they implemented a closure, it went up to 1,888 a day." He added that for additional volume "it's a public roadway. We can't deny access," and said mitigation options are limited to signage, enforcement or closing sections of roadway.
Councilman Arthur Laughlin said the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction is repairing a bridge over Bayou Lacombe on Highway 36, and that the closure pushed traffic onto Horseshoe Island Road, a narrow rural connector. Laughlin introduced Dennis, a local liaison, to describe resident concerns. Dennis told the council the increased heavy-vehicle traffic is creating ruts, reducing shoulder width and creating hazards for elderly residents: "You get stuck...you can see all the trucks, the ruts that are in the road. The large trucks are still coming down there, and that's a huge issue," he said.
Public works staff said they refreshed regulatory messages including an existing ordinance designating Horseshoe Island Road as a no-through-truck route and added signage and chevrons at curves. Jay Watson said crews plan to place hot-mix asphalt on narrow shoulders as a short-term stabilization measure and will coordinate public notice through PIO before the work.
Council members and staff discussed additional mitigation such as temporary speed tables (not available in serviceable condition), transverse rumble strips (which staff did not recommend because of noise and limited effectiveness), and stepped-up enforcement. Council members said local law enforcement has begun ticketing detour users; Arthur Laughlin said he would bring traffic-enforcement figures from the sheriff’s office.
Daniel said the parish has Horseshoe Island Road "on the radar" and will evaluate whether to perform emergency work this year or defer until the state project completes. Council members urged a combination of signage, shoulder repairs and enforcement while longer-term reconstruction proceeds.
After the discussion, the council thanked staff for quick responses and moved to the next agenda item.