Portion of La. 21 going to four lanes

Projected expected to cost $8.8 million, take one year to complete

By Matthew Penix
St. Tammany News
Published on Monday, September 22, 2008 9:09 AM CDT

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Louisiana Highway 21, a major thoroughfare through Covington that’s often clogged with traffic, is finally getting a much-anticipated facelift.

Parish officials on Friday gave the green light to Hammond-based Gilmore & Sons Construction Co. to widen the roadway from two lanes to four with hopes to unsnarl traffic backups during peak driving hours.

The $8.8 million project is expected to take one year.

“This is an important project for St. Tammany,” Parish President Kevin Davis said. “Highway 21 is a critical transportation corridor in western St. Tammany Parish.”

Parish government issued a “notice to proceed” Friday, giving Gilmore & Sons permission to start clearing the right of way to extend the roadway 1,000 feet just north of Ochsner Boulevard near Interstate 12 to Louisiana Highway 1085, parish spokeswoman Suzanne Parsons Stymiest has said.

Crews intend to clear the right of way during the day and remove the refuse at night to prevent backlogged traffic. Once the clearing is complete, the utility companies will relocate power lines to pave way for the next step in the widening process. This new section of road will be four lanes wide with a center median.

The project is one of several designed to relieve traffic on La. 21. Future improvements include a new bypass road heading northwest from the Ochsner/La. 21 intersection as well as widening other portions of La. 21.

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