Essen Lane / I-12 Interchange Design, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Under this contract, GEC was tasked by the state highway department to design improvement to one of the Baton Rouge’s heaviest trafficked corridors, Essen Lane.  The overall project encompasses two new access ramps to Interstate I-12 and the widening of Essen Lane to a divided 6-lane urban arterial roadway over a total project length of 2.3 miles.  For funding purposes, it was designed as a two-phase project.  Construction of Phase I, at a cost of $18 million and completed in 2004, widened the northbound direction of Essen Lane while adding a new eastbound on-ramp onto I-12.  Phase II, also designed by GEC but currently awaiting funding for construction ($16 million), widens the southbound direction and adds a new eastbound I-12 flyover off-ramp.  Significant design features of this project include the following special designs:  • A 1,330 ft long, cast-in-place cantilevered retaining wall with a height varying from 7 to 13 feet  • A new intersection and security wall at the State Archives Building        • Barrier-mounted sound barriers for the project segment adjacent to I-12  • Connections to numerous side roads and driveways and the re-alignment of three intersecting streets.

The tight space conditions of widening a major arterial in a developed area provided GEC with another opportunity to produce a design which minimized right-of-way acquisition while meeting all of the project goals.  GEC worked with state officials and local property owners to develop a design that is beneficial and satisfactory for all parties.  The Essen Lane improvement project has given significant evidence once again of GEC’s ability to expand and improve existing urban roadways under restricted and congest conditions.