AROUND THE PARISH

Improved North-South Route Moves Closer to Completion

GREEN LIGHT PLAN COMPLETES CONSTRUCTION ON 20th ROADWAY PROJECT

Baton Rouge, LA — Mayor-President Melvin L. “Kip” Holden will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Central Thruway Paving project at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 8, 2011 on the new pavement north of South Choctaw Drive, with parking provided on Central Thruway (driving directions attached). This ribbon cutting ceremony marks the 20th completed roadway construction project for the Green Light Plan.

“As we open the first useable segment of the massive Central Thruway project, we move one step closer towards making a completed Central Thruway a reality,” said Mayor-President Melvin “Kip” Holden. “Projects like the Central Thruway at Florida Boulevard Paving project were designed to be completed and opened to traffic as quickly as possible, even as we work towards completion on other related projects in the area. The Green Light Plan continues to move forward with new projects breaking ground, more projects reaching completion, and doing whatever it takes to safely alleviate traffic, congestion, and clear up bottlenecked areas across East Baton Rouge Parish.”

Partially funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) through the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD), the Central Thruway at Florida Boulevard Paving project carried a total construction cost of $3,684,788.12. With an actual completion date of July 13th, 2011, the project provides new turning lanes and signal improvements at the Florida Boulevard intersection and the re-alignment of the previous South Choctaw Drive at Florida Boulevard to South Choctaw Drive at Central Thruway. Improvements also include new signalization at the relocated South Choctaw Drive intersection.

The overall Central Thruway project, currently under construction in various areas across project limits, includes two separate phases and seven individual projects and a current total estimated cost of $61 million. When complete, the Central Thruway will provide motorists and residents with a new four-lane roadway that includes a raised median and shoulders on new alignment extending from Florida Boulevard to Frenchtown Road, and then to Sullivan Road. Upon completion of all remaining projects and phases, the new Central Thruway will provide an improved north-south connection for both the area and the entire Parish, extending a continuous roadway all the way from Nicholson Drive to Hooper Road.



Ribbon Cutting Participants
From East Baton Rouge Parish:
Mayor-President Melvin L. “Kip” Holden, East Baton Rouge City-Parish
John Carpenter, Chief Administrative Officer, East Baton Rouge City-Parish

From the Department of Public Works:
William Daniel, P.E., Acting Director
Bryan Harmon, P.E., Deputy Director
Jim Ferguson, P.E., M.B.A., Chief Design Engineer
Ingolf Partenheimer, P.E., Chief Traffic Engineer
Jose Alvarez, P.E., Chief Construction Engineer

From the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development:
Trey Jesclard, P.E., Assistant Road Design Administrator

From the Green Light Plan; CSRS, Inc.:
Michael Songy, P.E., Program Director
Brad Ponder, P.E., Program Manager

From the Engineering Consultant; Shread-Kuyrendall & Associates:
Gary McClure
John Raymond

From the Contractor; James Construction Group, LLC:
Matt Hicks
Rodney James

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