Is It Time to Ride a Bike Yet?

Big changes are coming to Baton Rouge, and they are going to affect everyone who moves around the Capital City.

The largest of the projects in terms of both cost and length of time to completion is the I-10 widening project running from the Mississippi River Bridge to the 10/12 Split. This project is expected to take 23 years to complete. As part of the widening, the elevated portions of the usually congested interstate will be removed and replaced with new, wider elevated sections matching the widened at-grade lanes. 

For the spans over The Lakes, access under the interstate will be severely impacted on Dalrymple and East Lakeshore Drives. State DOTD officials anticipate this phase of construction to last four to five years, within the twenty-three years for the overall Interstate 10 project. A related project affecting the Dalrymple Drive on- and off-ramps will add additional challenges to the Lakes area. 

But that isn’t the only major artery that will be covered in orange cones. Airline Highway, Bluebonnet Boulevard, and Nicholson Drive – among others – will be widened. Adding another level of complexity is the Lakes Project that will be going on at the same time as the I-10 widening project.

All these projects have the potential to cause major disruptions for all roadway users. In short, it’s about to get even more interesting and infuriating to navigate Baton Rouge by car. 

“Many of these projects are long overdue and much needed, but it also highlights the vulnerability the city faces when it puts all its transportation eggs in one basket,” said Bike Baton Rouge board member Drew Walker. “If your usual or only option for getting around is a car, for whatever reason, good luck.”

Funding large transportation projects like these has usually been an exercise in creative taxation. President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy played a significant role in helping cross the finish line, may make funding sources more easily available. While that is a significant investment, Walker says the dollar amount doesn’t add up to much if it isn’t used well.

“Bike Baton Rouge would like to see the most vulnerable road users prioritized as we move forward with these massive road projects,” Walker said. “If we put the most vulnerable at the front of our considerations when committing to these kinds of projects, we can address a lot of issues like climate and social justice, economic development, and helping Baton Rouge become a place people want to live, rather than leave.”

“There has to be more than just a few sharrows or a stripe down the side of the road,” he said. “We’ve made some progress, the Government Street road diet has helped immensely and the Downtown Greenway is a wonderful route, but I think Baton Rouge is primed to take the next step. We can’t afford to make the same mistakes we’ve made in the past.”

“Where would we be as a community if we had implemented and expanded upon the first bicycle master plan Baton Rouge created in 1974? The most current Pedestrian-Bicycle Master Plan, approved in 2020, includes projects covering the Parish, but will we commit to implementing this current plan?”

Walker says Bike Baton Rouge is happy to help people find ways to make leaving the car at home an option. “Bike Baton Rouge created a suggested bicycle route map that serves the entire Parish,” said Walker. “Some places are more difficult to reach by bicycle but certainly not all.” 

To create the map, members of Bike Baton Rouge rode the routes in groups of two to five, with individuals having varying degrees of riding experience, and rode each route at least twice. This provided multiple viewpoints when reviewing the routes and gave everyone “on the ground” experience with the roads rather than simply looking at a map. That map may be accessed on the web at https://bikebr.org/map.

“If you missed out on the ‘bike boom’ during 2020, it’s not too late,” he said. “We have some fantastic local bike shops in Baton Rouge and walking is always free. If you need help finding the safest and most efficient route to bike or walk, let us know. We’d be happy to help.”