Louisiana
Mall of Louisiana Boulevard Project enters next phase under MOVEBR program
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A major traffic improvement project is moving forward near one of Baton Rouge’s busiest shopping areas.
The MOVEBR program has officially broken ground on the railroad underpass phase of the Mall of Louisiana Boulevard project, a key part of the city’s effort to improve mobility and safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
The $38 million project is the latest phase in a multi-step plan to ease congestion and enhance flood control in the area. Fred Raiford, East Baton Rouge Parish’s director of Transportation and Drainage, said the project is designed to give commuters more options and reduce bottlenecks near the Mall of Louisiana.
“We just feel like it’s a good connector to be able to tie the interstate in Perkins and provide more opportunity for drivers to use the vehicles to go where they want to go in that general vicinity,” Raiford said.
Phase One included the Backcourt Drive Bridge and the Dawson Creek twin bridges. This new phase focuses on building a railroad underpass and pump station, a critical addition to keep traffic flowing and reduce flooding during heavy rain.
Raiford said once this stage is complete, crews will move into roadway construction and signal installation.
“Our next phase will be the actual road construction, and the last thing is to look at putting the traffic signal at Perkins and the Mall of Louisiana Road,” he said.
Previously known as the Picardy-Perkins Connector, the Mall of Louisiana Boulevard project is being developed in coordination with the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Railroad to safely separate vehicle and train crossings. Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards said it’s a major step toward modernizing local infrastructure.
“I think this roadway is going to be a fantastic asset for our parish, for today and for the future,” Edwards said.
Once completed in roughly three years, the four-lane roadway will feature a 10-foot-wide shared-use path connecting to BREC’s Trail at Dawson’s Creek, along with a privacy wall to buffer nearby neighborhoods.
Officials said the Mall of Louisiana Boulevard project is another milestone in MOVEBR’s mission to reduce congestion and create safer, more accessible routes throughout East Baton Rouge Parish.